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swampertforever:((Perfect. I think that’s all the advice you’ll need for now, liking the improvement. ^^))

The journey was already starting to become nerve-wrecking; on top of losing Blue and being bitten by an angry Houndour, you just witnessed the death of the first friendly face you met since arriving on Necrovalley the Graveyard.

You put away the Gravekeeper’s Diary, thinking it might be useful in the future, and finally accept to make use of some of the old man’s remedies. Still, it will take a while for the medication’s effects to be felt, although that’s a minor concern of yours. You wrap a piece of cloth around your leg – it’s no proper bandage, and it’s not stopping the bleeding completely, but it’ll have to do.

As you sit down and administer the ointments, you’re filled with a sense of urgency and thirst for justice; Blue is out there, at the mercy of these graverobbers, and there is nobody left to defend the cemetery grounds now that the Gravekeeper passed away. Unless… that person is you. You clench your fists and get back up, burning with resolve. As you make your way out of the house, you request Houndour’s assistance to brave the vile fog outside and track down your Panpour before the criminals get to him. A mix of fear and foolish guts take over, as you blabber about becoming the Gravekeeper’s Descendant – which, unless you plan on staying here for the next 50 years, seems unlikely; still, it’s the thought that counts. Right now, your priorities are recovering your lost partner and making the graverobbers pay – both for the torment they caused the old man, and for abandoning Houndour.

The hellhound looks at you, then back to its deceased owner… then licks his hand one final time before walking over to you. A slight sense of relief washes over you – maybe with Houndour around you won’t get lost as quickly.

You take a deep breath and step outside. The fog remains as thick as before, with an ominous purple hue, but with Houndour by your side you don’t feel as reluctant to move forward. The dog, meanwhile, has a look of immense sadness on its face, as if the idea of wandering these grounds without its owner brings even more pain.

Now… where do you go next? Hell, you can’t even tell where North is anymore. And do you even have any leads on where to go next? You’ll have to make a decision, because stepping blindly into the fog will only get you lost again, and with your leg actively bleeding, the consequences might be catastrophic.

So, what’s your plan?

The Ocean of Mystery

Trickster Zorua: Awaiting edits to your last post

LucarioArtcunoSuicunLover: ((Navy terms aren't my strong suit; if you spot a mistake in the ship's description feel free to point it out, this is a learning process for us both :P))

The sudden lack of sympathy by the boat’s occupants catches you off-guard. Instead of being carried to safety, you’re suddenly gauged by your potential value to an operation you know nothing about – and your survival hangs on your answer!

You try to stall for time, as nerves begin to take the better of you – regardless of your relative expertise in matters of marine biology, your would-be savior is too vague in his clues for you to capitalize on it. Or was he?... As you instinctively reach for your belt, the metallic touch of a Pokeball lights a spark in your head – Squishy! He could serve as the perfect bait for whatever kind of Pokemon these men might be after.

The Ditto perches itself on top of your head with a goofy smile, and you await the man’s reply with anticipation – were you convincing enough?...
He seems to ponder for a while.

- You said you came here to do research? You’re quite young for that… but maybe we could use you nonetheless. As for Ditto, well… I doubt even he can properly replicate what we’re hunting, but it’s worth a shot. Hop inside, girl.

---

The journey back to the ship is largely uneventful; the two occupants don’t really talk much, or perhaps they just don’t want to talk around you. Whichever the reason, it makes for a pretty boring ride. When the boat approaches the hull, four ropes are hurled down from the ship, each with a large hook at the end; the two men expertly tie the ropes and lock the hooks in the appropriate housings and the boat is reeled up, ever so slowly.

After the small vessel is brought all the way up, three men in sailor suits walk up to meet you. They help the other two out of the boat and look at you inquisitively, hesitant to pull you inside. The one that questioned you earlier speaks in your behalf.

- The lass comes with us. We found her stranded on the ocean, apparently doing some “research”. She might be helpful; I’ll take her to the captain.

With that, they help you jump into the ship. It’s a frankly impressive sight; so high is the deck, that you can see the ocean for miles around – and even so, no sign of the boat you came in. Wow.

- Move along girl. No time to be standing around.

The man leads you inside, through doors and corridors you couldn’t memorize even if you wanted to; despite your relative familiarity with the sea, you’ve never been on a ship this big. After a while, he opens a final door and pushes you inside. The room has windows facing the front of the ship, and there’s someone at the wheel with his back turned to you. Clearly, you’re on the bridge.

- Captain, my apologies, there’s something you should see.

The man keeps his back turned, and it takes a while before he even answers, in a deep, scruffy voice.

- Unless it’s Roatoga, stop wasting my time Admiral.

- No sir, but it might help us capture her for good. This girl claims she’s a marine researcher, and favours field work unlike than the useless bunch we have on board, who cling to monitors and fail to get results. She also happens to be in possession of a Ditto, which might be a better decoy than anything we have tried thus far.

That seems to get the Captain’s attention. He turns to face you, and it’s clear to you that this is no rookie steering the ship – much taller than you, with a thick white beard and a hard expression, skin tanned and roughened by the sun and salt, he embodies the definition of a sea dog.
He looks at you for a long while with an unreadable expression, then walks up to you and talks without so much as faking a smile.

- You’re a girl.

The way he says it sounds like the word itself tastes so foul and bitter that he needs to spit it.

- A tiny one, at least. You won’t be wasting much of our supplies, I reckon. Tell me lassie, what can you really do to justify your presence in my ship? I’ve been after Roatoga for twenty years. This particular crew has been at sea for months now, most of them are male, and I can’t remember the last time we’ve been to port. Leaving you to wander the decks on your own would be your downfall, sweetie; the only way you’d walk out as pure and sweet as you walked in would be to stay under my protection; but I have no time and no patience for dead weight, so… how do you propose we catch the absolute biggest, smartest sea creature in the entire world? If your Ditto is a run-of-the-mill pink one, I have some doubts it could ever truly capture the magnificence of Roatoga either…

It’s crystal-clear that your well-being inside this vessel hangs on your answer once again; you have no doubt the Captain cares little for anyone who isn’t useful, even if that person is a defenseless teenager. With so little to work with, what can you possibly answer that will satisfy him? And if you’re after a Pokemon, why wouldn’t Squishy be able to duplicate it with ease?

You look around, trying to buy some time, when a photograph stuck to the steering wheel catches your eye. It’s too far away to clearly make it out, but it seems to be the portrait of a white and purple creature… Think Lass, what would be the “biggest sea creature in the world”, coloured purple and white and troublesome for a "regular" Ditto to copy, so rare that the Captain would spend twenty years of his life hunting down?...

Forest of Adventure (Please reply in LimeGreen)
According to legend, no trainer can enter this enchanted forest without an adventure befalling them.

{Sorry it's taken so long for me to start here, but my pair of Ekans are finally ready! So, here goes nothing!}

The Arcane Realm. Years ago, it used to be the gateway through which people had to go in order to arrive in the land of Fizzy Bubbles until it disappeared mysteriously. And just as mysterious was its return to the world a few months ago, blocking the way people were before using to directly reach Fizzy Bubbles. Since new arrivals would have to traverse the Arcane Realm again, many trainers who had come to Fizzy Bubbles without adventuring here were assigned by the government to do so now in order to inspect the realm and ensure it wouldn't be too dangerous for outsiders to travel through it. Things in Fizzy Bubbles would get stagnant if it was forced into isolation from the outside world, after all.

Hyrem considered this assignment an opportunity; he had heard about the Arcane Realm before leaving on his journey and was disappointed to find that it had disappeared, making the boat ride into Fizzy Bubbles direct, but very boring. Not only that, he would've been able to open up his Pokeball to reveal Sera earlier on. Oh well, at least he had the chance to explore it now! He had also heard about the adventures of Balmund, the Dragon Tamer, inside this strange world and was even more excited to explore it than ever. For this reason, he had been spending his time with his two Ekans, Seshiro and Shisato, training them and preparing for their time in this "other world".

Now they were here, in the Forest of Adventure, where his good friend had adventured before. What could have changed in between Duke's visit and Hyrem's? In any case, the younger trainer was here to enjoy the sights and sounds as he walked down the trail with Seshiro's lower half snugly coiled around Hyrem's left arm and Shisato's around his right arm, both snakes heads raised above Hyrem's head, swaying to and fro slightly, as their tongues flicked vigorously so they could take in all the smells and tastes surrounding them and appease their curiosity. Occasionally they would look at each other and smile before resuming their tongue flicking. "Oof," Hyrem gasped as he felt the coils around both his arms tighten the more excited Seshiro and Shisato became. "You two sure are happy, aren't you?"

"Ekanssss~!" the two hiss in unison. Having both been adopted by Hyrem from the Adoption Center, they felt a special kinship toward each other, maybe more than that from what many have observed about them. Seshiro, the more curious of the two, lowered his head so it would be level with Hyrem's and the boy would be able to rub his chin (at least Hyrem's hands weren't covered by reptilian sinew), while Shisato silently nuzzled her trainer's cheek, both of them sporting wide smiles across their faces, as this was to be their first adventure, an exciting moment indeed. "Well, let's just make sure my arms don't get squeezed to death, k?" The rattlesnakes nod apologetically and loosen their grip on his arms slightly.

Suddenly, a light bursted forth from the Luxury Ball on Hyrem's belt, and a bigger snake with long red fangs and a bladed tail appeared. "Wha- Amethyst, what are you doing out of your ball?" he asked his Seviper.

"Ssssseeee?" she hissed expectantly, and Hyrem knew just what she was asking.

"Aw, come on, you know I was meaning for this adventure to be for them!" he complained to Amethyst, who then proceeded to slither closer to Hyrem with wide eyes and a quivering lower lip, complete with a tiny flick of her forked tongue. I personally think it's pretty disturbing that she'd learned how to beg--Orchrist, Balmund's Seviper, is probably a very good teacher in this regard--but anyway, despite how much he desperately wanted to resist, Hyrem groaned, eventually giving in to her pleas. "All right, you can tag along... But if we get into a battle, you stay out of it unless it's something these two can't handle!" Amethyst nodded happily, then made a notion with her tail blade to the effect of "Cross my heart, hope to die," though she knew what he didn't make her promise and hungrily hoped such an opportunity would present itself.

"Okay, now we got that out of the way, you three ready for this?" When he heard three hisses in the affirmative, he said, "Good, I didn't want to keep standing around like this!" And with that, he walked further along the trail, still finding it awkward to move his arms while they were being hugged by his Ekans, with Amethyst slithering beside him and under his watchful eye. He'd have preferred not to worry about a 9 ft. viper possibly following her own whim at any given time, but it wouldn't have been worth the headache she would've given him had he not let her stay with him and the other two snakes. He just hoped she wouldn't cause trouble as a result of it and that his trek through the forest with his three serpents would be enjoyable.

edit: Sorry Marble, I had to edit this. It wasn't nearly insane enough for my liking.

Originally Posted by MarbleZone

The Graveyard

swampertforever:((Perfect. I think that’s all the advice you’ll need for now, liking the improvement. ^^))

The journey was already starting to become nerve-wrecking; on top of losing Blue and being bitten by an angry Houndour, you just witnessed the death of the first friendly face you met since arriving on Necrovalley the Graveyard.

You put away the Gravekeeper’s Diary, thinking it might be useful in the future, and finally accept to make use of some of the old man’s remedies. Still, it will take a while for the medication’s effects to be felt, although that’s a minor concern of yours. You wrap a piece of cloth around your leg – it’s no proper bandage, and it’s not stopping the bleeding completely, but it’ll have to do.

As you sit down and administer the ointments, you’re filled with a sense of urgency and thirst for justice; Blue is out there, at the mercy of these graverobbers, and there is nobody left to defend the cemetery grounds now that the Gravekeeper passed away. Unless… that person is you. You clench your fists and get back up, burning with resolve. As you make your way out of the house, you request Houndour’s assistance to brave the vile fog outside and track down your Panpour before the criminals get to him. A mix of fear and foolish guts take over, as you blabber about becoming the Gravekeeper’s Descendant – which, unless you plan on staying here for the next 50 years, seems unlikely; still, it’s the thought that counts. Right now, your priorities are recovering your lost partner and making the graverobbers pay – both for the torment they caused the old man, and for abandoning Houndour.

The hellhound looks at you, then back to its deceased owner… then licks his hand one final time before walking over to you. A slight sense of relief washes over you – maybe with Houndour around you won’t get lost as quickly.

You take a deep breath and step outside. The fog remains as thick as before, with an ominous purple hue, but with Houndour by your side you don’t feel as reluctant to move forward. The dog, meanwhile, has a look of immense sadness on its face, as if the idea of wandering these grounds without its owner brings even more pain.

Now… where do you go next? Hell, you can’t even tell where North is anymore. And do you even have any leads on where to go next? You’ll have to make a decision, because stepping blindly into the fog will only get you lost again, and with your leg actively bleeding, the consequences might be catastrophic.

So, what’s your plan?

OOC: Thank you, I hope my next posts meet the same high standards.

Michael bandaged his leg with some cloth. It stemmed the bleeding slightly, but it wasn't enough. Undeterred, Michael marched out of the cottage, hollering all the way,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa..., "

He marched back into the cottage.

"aaaand that was a bad idea. Ok, new plan!"

Michael's thoughts rattled around his head at a mile a minute, each as zany and insane as the last. The teen was glad that the Houndour had decided to accompany him, as there was no way in hell that he could manage to save Blue without someone as knowledgeable of the graveyard as the dog. He waited for the Houndour, who he had mentally bestowed the name Mr. Wolf, to say his final farewells to the old gravekeeper, then with the hound in tow, he limped back into the labyrinth that was the foggy graveyard.

'Purple fog? Well, now I know somethings up. Pretty magical though. Now, how do I break through this ghastly haze. Hehe, Gastly... If only Blue were here, he'd have liked that joke. Maybe Mr. Wolf would like it? It may cheer him up.'

The teen repeated the joke out loud to the Houndour, but it wasn't any use. The hellhound was still upset. Michael mentally slapped himself, something he would never usually do.

'What am I doing? Mr. Wolf hasn't walked around this graveyard without his owner... this must be painful for him, and i'm forcing him to relive this moment... But I can't just leave him!. He'll starve on his own! Poor boy, all alone, no-one around to hear him... wait, that's it!'

The teen knelt down beside the Houndour. The madness in his eyes had returned.

"Houndour, I'm sorry for the insensitivity i'm about to show, but do you think you could help me get some of your master's explosives? I think if we set a lot of them off we can blow up this fog, scare off any invaders and signal Blue! Sure, it's dangerous, we could get terribly hurt in the blast and probably die, but that doesn't matter much, not at all! "

EpicSquirtle:((Much, much better! ^^ now, I realize this is a battle, but when the adventure allows it, I’d like to see some character development too: not just Telpo whining and you answering back, I wanna know your character’s personality and motivations through your posts, as well as your Pokemon’s. No need to rush it, but give it a shot when the plot lets you.))

You don’t even stop to reflect for a second – if the Numel is in trouble, then it’s going to get your help! Telpo tries to warn you that maybe there’s more than meets the eye here, who even knows who attacked first?!

You assess the situation briefly and, recalling that Cacturne are part Grass-Type, decide that going for some Fire attacks is probably the best option. Your Abra looks terrified as you issue your instructions - is there something his Trainer is missing? Cacturne are also Dark-Types!

Reluctantly, Telpo steps in to help out. The Cacturne look at the puny Pokemon, well aware of their own type advantage, and look to gang up on your Abra – but he’s having none of it. Mustering all of his courage, the tiny Psychic-Type jumps forward and delivers a hard Fire Punch to one of the Cacturne, before swiftly turning 180 degrees to land a second one on the other opponent. Taken by surprise, the Cacturne take astep back to reassess the situation – seems they weren’t expecting Abra to put up a fight. However, it’s their turn now…

The first Cacturne jumps forward, black energy glowing in its hand as it smacks Telpo right in the face – as the dark aura explodes with violence, much more than it seemed it would, and dealing devastating damage to your Pokemon! Horrified, you instantly recognize the move as Payback, a Dark-Type strike that becomes twice as strong if the Pokemon was already hit…

Abra struggles back to his feet, but one attack by the much stronger opponent was almost enough to cause him to faint – and the other one is about to finish him off! The second Cacturne jumps forward, its right arm covered in similar black energy, ready for another Payback that Telpo simply won’t survive…

… but at the last second, its face is covered in flames and it falls back, shocked and hurt! You take a moment to realize what happened, until you see the Numel standing side by side with Telpo. It’s joining the struggle! You whip out your Pokedex that tells you the small camel is currently at Level 5, and the Numel looks at you and nods with determination, as if saying he’ll fight alongside you as well.

What will you do after this turn of events?

"Um master, we should be careful, we don't even know who attacked first" Telpo warned.

"You may be right Telpo, but I'm not just going to sit back and watch!" Jake replied before issuing his commands to Telpo.

Yeah, gonna have a crack at this. If someone could find it in themselves to pick up a poor newbie I'd be most grateful.

Originally Posted by enchantress

Desert of Illusion (Please reply in DarkOrange)
A vast desert, filled with all kinds of Pokémon. It is rumored that two special villages can be found here, but is this fantasy or reality?

It made perfect sense really - a fisherman most comfortable around water with two aquatic Pokémon would naturally decide on a whim to visit... the desert.

Dave blinked. Wait, no. It didn't make sense at all. Why had he chosen to come here again? Maybe he should've paid more attention to the list of destinations available. Fortunately, his waterproof sleeveless jacket was also pretty lightweight, meaning he wasn't getting too much of a sweat on. The heat wasn't too much of a concern for his travelling companion either, a squeak emanating from his water-filled pocket.

"Yeah yeah, I know you'd rather be swimming free." he replied, reaching down to stroke the Remoraid as she sat in her container. "I'm amazed you didn't jet me for doing this, you usually don't let me do something stupid."

Suzi responded to this by sticking her head out of the trainer's pocket and blasting him with a Water Gun.

"...okay, I deserved that." muttered Dave, not bothering to dry himself off thanks to the heat. At least having a Water Pokémon on hand would help him beat the heat, with the fish able to produce almost unlimited amounts of the liquid. The fisherman found himself wondering if you were able to drink the water Pokémon produced, before clearing his head. That sounded a bit last resort to him.

Reaching into his other pocket, he pulled out the field guide, leafing through until he found the entry his was looking for. Desert of Illusion. "Hmm. Looks like that there are allegedly a couple of villages in here somewhere." he read aloud, before looking up at the shimmering expanse of sand and rock. "No wonder they call this the Illusion Desert, there could be an entire city half a mile away and I wouldn't see it in this heat haze." Suzi interpreted this as him needing to cool off, and another Water Gun splashed into his face. A sigh escaped his lips.

"Well, no point in hanging around here." he murmured, ignoring his partner's hi-jinx as she squeaked a laugh. "Let's get going." At that, the trainer started to trudge onward, on the lookout for anything amidst the otherwise featureless terrain.

Forest of Adventure (Please reply in LimeGreen)
According to legend, no trainer can enter this enchanted forest without an adventure befalling them.

(Chinchou can walk (ep 214), and in a forest there will be ponds right? Right.)

“Finally, we arrive at the Forest of Adventure, right Chichi?” the little Chinchou nods his head happily from his perch upon Lights blue hood. Chichi jumps off Lights head, as he falls he looks at his familiar friend. His long spiky yellow hair that is majorly hidden by his hood, but the sides of it can be seen at the edges of the hood, his surprisingly gold eyes, the blue hoodie sprouting a silver zipper and two yellow spots on the top of his hood. Further down the top of Lights pants are covered by his hoodie, his pants are dark blue at the top and gradually get lighter until the bottom. Along the sides of his pants are lighting bolts, but they are majorly straight only zigzagging a few times. The pants widen at the bottom leaving for a sort of style like this.

Landing on the grass Chichi begins to hop around very excited, so much so that small sparks are jumping from one lure to the other. Running back over to Light he brushes by him giving him a small shock, *Zap!* Light jumps with surprise as the electricity runs through his body, he spins around to face Chichi but alas, the small fish-that-can-walk/hop-electric-ball-thing is already running towards him, and past him, shocking him again. Soon Chichi is board with this game and pulls on Lights leg “Chi, Chinchou” urging him forward towards the forest. Letting Chichi get about ten feet ahead Light sprints after him scooping him up and laughing: “Got you. Now to our first capture, adventure, and a great time!” and with that Light and Chichi run into the forest with excited grins on each of their faces.

Mediville (Please reply in LemonChiffon)
This well-populated village and its surrounding farmlands contain many low-levelled wild Pokémon suitable for beginning trainers to practice against. Levels are only gained by Pokémon under level 10.

As Jorge stared off into the beautiful morning sky he pondered on where he should go first. He had heard there were many great locations for a trainer to start off their grand adventure. But he couldn't decide which one to choose, they all just seemed so appealing. As his shroomish frolicked in the nearby grasses he finally narrowed it down to the forest or mediville. The forest brought back memories of when he met Warrior, so it seemed appropriate to start of there. But on the other hand, Mediville seemed like the perfect place to start since both trainer and pokemon were inexperienced and Mediville was known to be a good training spot for weak pokemon.

Jorge finally made up his mind and as he got up and wiped the dust and dirt from his shorts he gestured to his shroomish to follow him."Come on Warrior. Let's start our journey,"Jorge said as he headed of into the route that lead to Mediville with Warrior at his heels. profile <---

EpicSquirtle:((Don’t make the mistake of repeating the majority of the sentences written by your updater and changing them up a little bit in your post to make it longer. Never do this, I can spot it; it makes you reach the word count, but I felt like I was re-reading my own update. Try to be original in your replies, otherwise what’s the point? You’ve almost quoted me word for word in some of your sentences.))

You realize that full-on offense would be foolish with a single Pokemon against two evolved foes bearing a Type advantage; fortunately you worked it out before the Cacturne beat Telpo into a pulp. As you try to regroup and think of a new approach, the Numel bravely offers to fight at your side and drive the enemy away.

After scanning the Camel Pokemon with your Pokedex, determining it to be of Level 5, you decide to have Numel and Telpo work as a team to offset the difference in power. Taking a more level-headed approach, you issue your instructions and the two Pokemon are happy to comply.

Numel starts off by Growling at one of the attackers, which clearly catches him by surprise; the Cacturne are taken aback by the sudden show of guts, and as much as they try to laugh it off, it’s clear they’ve begun to question the true power of the Fire-Type, becoming less inclined to attack. Just as their guard drops, Telpo closes in with a powerful Ice Punch to one of the them, catching it right in the gut and making it bend over in pain; the other Cacturne is startled by the move and looks over to his fallen companion, and the Numel sees its opportunity, firing off an Ember that hits it dead on as well!

Numel and Telpo cheer as both of their opponents fall to their knees; the Abra remembers its last instruction, pulling up a Barrier that envelopes both of them, and just in time too, as the Cacturne that was hit with Ice Punch looks for a measure of revenge, smashing against the shield with a Needle Arm. The attack is completely neutralized, but… the Barrier shatters! Just how powerful are these two?!

While the attacker is left clenching its fist in pain, the other Cactus Pokemon is already back on its feet as well, and shoots an immense number of needles from its body with a Pin Missile attack! The countless projectiles fly through the air and are about to rain down on your team…

What do you do?!

The Graveyard

swampertforever:((Being crazy as a character quirk is alright and even welcome, but don’t assume everything has to fall into place regardless of your character’s actions. Good and bad choices still exist, with their respective outcomes.))

Of all the possible courses of action, you definitely settle for the flashiest one. You reason that, with a blast strong enough, you might be able to dispel the fog, lead Blue to you and scare off the graverobbers, all in one go. The Houndour looks at you in silent disbelief for a long while, then reluctantly heads back inside his old master’s room.
He returns soon after dragging a large sack with his fangs. Your smile widens as you open it: a large number of bottles are inside, each containing a strange liquid inside and a fuse dangling from the top. Filled with resolve, you take the bag away from the house, stopping when you feel the blast radius won’t affect the building; then, turning to Houndour, you instruct it to set the explosives ablaze, which would require no more than a small Ember.

You run off to what you figure might be a safe distance, but you can’t move too far away from the sack since a few steps too far means you’ll lose track of both the explosives and Houndour, with this horrible fog… Houndour looks at you one more time, extremely reluctant to follow through with the plan, but at the lack of suggested alternatives, it lets lose a small flame toward the bottles. Several fuses light up, the sparks slowly making their way toward the liquid… almost there… just a little longer… There!

----

Voices… human voices… dammit, why are they so loud?! Your head feels like it could kill you, spinning faster than a Voltorb’s Rollout, and for some reason you can’t feel your limbs. Maybe opening your eyes would help, but you’re afraid of what the light would do to your already colossal headache. You open them up slowly, one at a time, and everything’s blurry for a while… then it clears up somewhat, as much as possible anyway, what with this mist all around. What’s up with that, anyway? This… oh, right, the fog. You were in the Graveyard, close to the old man’s home… but where are you now?

You look around. A few feet away from where you’re standing, Houndour is out cold, its paws tied together in a tight knot with very thick rope. You instinctively look down, to find out that your hands and feet are equally tied up – not that it’d make a difference, you still can’t feel anything below the neck. Your knee hasn’t stopped bleeding either… You then look to the other side, where a familiar figure is also wrapped up and passed out – a small monkey… It’s Blue!

- Well, look who’s up! Had a nice nap?

If the words or the tone weren’t obvious enough, the aspect of the man making his way toward you said it all – not a friendly character. Thin, with dark skin and thick, long black hair, he kneels down in front of you. His clothes, a worn-looking blue flannel shirt and old jeans, are covered in mud and sweat; it’s obvious he’s been around for a while.

- Tell me boy, are you an angel? You have to be! An agent of Arceus sent to aid us in our time of need!

His tone is a mix of mockery and amusement.

- We’ve been fighting the old man for months now! But out you come, from the world beyond, and suddenly all our problems have been solved! The Gravekeeper dies, you blow up his entire stash of explosives as well as most of his house, and you even offer us two Pokemon for our searches! Thank you ever so much, boy. Now…

Suddenly, his demeanour changes, as does his voice; both become darker and more menacing, and even you aren’t oblivious to that.

- You must have talked to the man, made his acquaintance somehow, otherwise that mutt would have eaten you alive as it tried to do to us every single time. You were probably the last one to see him alive… did you kill him? How does it feel to have his blood on your hands? Nah, nevermind that. What I really want to know… is where the treasure is. And don’t bother denying it; you must know something if you ransacked the old geezer’s house to find the pyro. Here are the terms, kid.

He grabs you by the collar and growls his final words.

- If you value your life and that of your buddies, tell me where the Graveyard’s treasure is. If you tell me you know nothing, I’ll go through your Bag, and if I find out you’re lying, you die. If you genuinely know nothing, you die. If you try to pull some trick on me, you die. So you better come up with something to make yourself useful one last time…. Pretty please?

The conditions couldn’t be any clearer. The blast must have knocked you out so hard that your body is still numb, and you’re all tied up anyway; making a run for it would have a very, very low chance of success. Both Houndour and Panpour are relatively close to you, but equally bound. You can’t make out any other graverobbers, but that’s probably due to the fog – this creeper can’t be here all on his own. Do you even have anything that could be useful to them? You try to relive the events at the Gravekeeper’s cottage in your head…

Stages 2, 3 and 4. Anger, Denial, Depression.

Originally Posted by MarbleZone

The Graveyard

swampertforever:((Being crazy as a character quirk is alright and even welcome, but don’t assume everything has to fall into place regardless of your character’s actions. Good and bad choices still exist, with their respective outcomes.))

Of all the possible courses of action, you definitely settle for the flashiest one. You reason that, with a blast strong enough, you might be able to dispel the fog, lead Blue to you and scare off the graverobbers, all in one go. The Houndour looks at you in silent disbelief for a long while, then reluctantly heads back inside his old master’s room.
He returns soon after dragging a large sack with his fangs. Your smile widens as you open it: a large number of bottles are inside, each containing a strange liquid inside and a fuse dangling from the top. Filled with resolve, you take the bag away from the house, stopping when you feel the blast radius won’t affect the building; then, turning to Houndour, you instruct it to set the explosives ablaze, which would require no more than a small Ember.

You run off to what you figure might be a safe distance, but you can’t move too far away from the sack since a few steps too far means you’ll lose track of both the explosives and Houndour, with this horrible fog… Houndour looks at you one more time, extremely reluctant to follow through with the plan, but at the lack of suggested alternatives, it lets lose a small flame toward the bottles. Several fuses light up, the sparks slowly making their way toward the liquid… almost there… just a little longer… There!

----

Voices… human voices… dammit, why are they so loud?! Your head feels like it could kill you, spinning faster than a Voltorb’s Rollout, and for some reason you can’t feel your limbs. Maybe opening your eyes would help, but you’re afraid of what the light would do to your already colossal headache. You open them up slowly, one at a time, and everything’s blurry for a while… then it clears up somewhat, as much as possible anyway, what with this mist all around. What’s up with that, anyway? This… oh, right, the fog. You were in the Graveyard, close to the old man’s home… but where are you now?

You look around. A few feet away from where you’re standing, Houndour is out cold, its paws tied together in a tight knot with very thick rope. You instinctively look down, to find out that your hands and feet are equally tied up – not that it’d make a difference, you still can’t feel anything below the neck. Your knee hasn’t stopped bleeding either… You then look to the other side, where a familiar figure is also wrapped up and passed out – a small monkey… It’s Blue!

- Well, look who’s up! Had a nice nap?

If the words or the tone weren’t obvious enough, the aspect of the man making his way toward you said it all – not a friendly character. Thin, with dark skin and thick, long black hair, he kneels down in front of you. His clothes, a worn-looking blue flannel shirt and old jeans, are covered in mud and sweat; it’s obvious he’s been around for a while.

- Tell me boy, are you an angel? You have to be! An agent of Arceus sent to aid us in our time of need!

His tone is a mix of mockery and amusement.

- We’ve been fighting the old man for months now! But out you come, from the world beyond, and suddenly all our problems have been solved! The Gravekeeper dies, you blow up his entire stash of explosives as well as most of his house, and you even offer us two Pokemon for our searches! Thank you ever so much, boy. Now…

Suddenly, his demeanour changes, as does his voice; both become darker and more menacing, and even you aren’t oblivious to that.

- You must have talked to the man, made his acquaintance somehow, otherwise that mutt would have eaten you alive as it tried to do to us every single time. You were probably the last one to see him alive… did you kill him? How does it feel to have his blood on your hands? Nah, nevermind that. What I really want to know… is where the treasure is. And don’t bother denying it; you must know something if you ransacked the old geezer’s house to find the pyro. Here are the terms, kid.

He grabs you by the collar and growls his final words.

- If you value your life and that of your buddies, tell me where the Graveyard’s treasure is. If you tell me you know nothing, I’ll go through your Bag, and if I find out you’re lying, you die. If you genuinely know nothing, you die. If you try to pull some trick on me, you die. So you better come up with something to make yourself useful one last time…. Pretty please?

The conditions couldn’t be any clearer. The blast must have knocked you out so hard that your body is still numb, and you’re all tied up anyway; making a run for it would have a very, very low chance of success. Both Houndour and Panpour are relatively close to you, but equally bound. You can’t make out any other graverobbers, but that’s probably due to the fog – this creeper can’t be here all on his own. Do you even have anything that could be useful to them? You try to relive the events at the Gravekeeper’s cottage in your head…

What do you do?

OOC: I apologise. The crazy quirk only really shows at times of intense stress or emotion, and is more exaggerated then Michael’s usual childish demeanour. The whole point of the list was to hint at how unstable Michael is at this point, making weak justification for his dangerous and almost suicidal actions. If he wasn't so shaken up or teetering on the brink he would probably have thought things through a little more instead of just... well... going boom. I understand there are still good and bad choices and outcomes, and of course, it is time to capitalise on those bad choices. I apologise also for the length (and badness) of this reply, just wanted to get into Michael's head for a while.
Now, where do we begin? The rubble or his sin?

Michael grinned at the sight of the explosives, his mind too far gone to notice Houndour’s disbelief and reluctance. He took the explosives into the fog, and after taking all the necessary safety precautions (read: none), told Houndour to light them up. And waited.
“Ooooooh…. Three, two, one…. Jackp-
----
‘Argh… my head… why won’t it shut up…’

Michael tried to raise his hand. Tried being the operative word, considering he couldn’t feel his legs. Or his arms. Or anything for that matter, apart from his head that apparently decided it would impersonate a hyperactive voltorb.

‘Wha… where am I? Why am I tied up? Urk… my eyes…’

The teen opened his eyes as slowly as possible, trying not to kill his head from the sudden burst of light that would… wait, scratch that. The fog made it hard to see whatever light would shine upon the boy, but it was enough to look around.

‘Well… that wasn’t so bad… wait. Mr Wolf?!’
Michael’s heart fell when he saw the Houndour tied up to his left. Worried, he looked down at himself and noticed that he too was tied up… even though he couldn’t feel it.

‘Oh… Damn. Well, at least this can’t get any w- Blue? BLUE!’

He had looked over to his right, and that little hope of his curdled and died in his heart. The Panpour was bound as he was, and out cold. Michael bit his tongue to stop himself hyperventilating, which was lucky as another voice took this time to speak.

- Well, look who’s up! Had a nice nap?

The voice had an owner, a man who Michael really wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Dark skinned, dark haired and dirty with mud and sweat.

- Tell me boy, are you an angel? You have to be! An agent of Arceus sent to aid us in our time of need! We’ve been fighting the old man for months now! But out you come, from the world beyond, and suddenly all our problems have been solved! The Gravekeeper dies, you blow up his entire stash of explosives as well as most of his house, and you even offer us two Pokemon for our searches! Thank you ever so much, boy. Now…

If the man’s voice was scary before, it couldn’t compare to what he sounded like now. The malice dripped from every word he spoke, sending shivers down Michael’s usually oblivious spine.

- You must have talked to the man, made his acquaintance somehow, otherwise that mutt would have eaten you alive as it tried to do to us every single time. You were probably the last one to see him alive… did you kill him? How does it feel to have his blood on your hands? Nah, nevermind that. What I really want to know… is where the treasure is. And don’t bother denying it; you must know something if you ransacked the old geezer’s house to find the pyro. Here are the terms, kid.

The man snatched at Michael’s collar, menace radiating from his body as he finished his demands.

- If you value your life and that of your buddies, tell me where the Graveyard’s treasure is. If you tell me you know nothing, I’ll go through your Bag, and if I find out you’re lying, you die. If you genuinely know nothing, you die. If you try to pull some trick on me, you die. So you better come up with something to make yourself useful one last time…. Pretty please?
In the few seconds it took for Michael to realise the trouble he was in, he closed his eyes.

‘Well Michael, it looks like you’ve done it again.’

Michael said to himself. Well, said is too weak of a word. Yelled internally at his mind seems a better fit. The night’s events had screwed with his emotions so much that he finally snapped, ready to take out his anger at the easiest target. The teen continued his tirade against himself.

‘You couldn’t just leave well enough alone, could you? You just couldn’t stop to think. And now you’re gonna die. Genius!’

‘But… but I…’

‘But I what? Went crazy? You thought that everything would magically go away? You’ve been tied up! Your friends are in danger! Within the space of a night you’ve abandoned your friend, got attacked by a dog, possibly killed a man, blew up a house, made a puppy homeless and now you’ve gotten kidnapped! Useless you are, just useless.’

Michael opened his eyes again, shaken from his inner monologue, and broke down. The only way to save the Pokemon…

“I think I know how to find it. In my bag, the diary was his... the Gravekeepers, and it may help you. Just let the Panpour and Houndour go and keep me... they don’t know anything about the treasure.”

…was to betray them. Deny they had anything to do with him. It was better this way, really. And technically, most of what he was about to say was true…

“This Panpour followed me in. We got seperated before I met the Gravekeeper and Houndour,”

Here Michael hesitated. How could he convince his captive that the Houndour wasn’t helpful if they had already met the dog with the Gravekeeper? Thinking fast, Michael continued.

“Houndour was never told, I think. The Gravekeeper never mentioned the treasure. So just… release them. They shouldn’t be here… I just dragged them into this mess. They are useless to you, I’m not.”

The boy slumped as much as the ropes could let him. This wasn’t just a gambit for the Pokémon’s survival, this was desperation. Regret. Repentance. He closed his eyes, and waited for the Robbers decision.

Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to be.

((Sorry these updates took so long! I'm finally on Summer Break, so expect more frequent updates from here on out. Everyone's posts are looking great so far, so let's move right along, shall we?))

Mediville

MarbleZone- Levin admits to the young boy that he has not seen the Ralts in question, which causes the boy to audibly sigh with disappointment. It was a feeling that Levin could relate to, given his memories of being a boy himself, attempting to capture those pesky, teleporting Abra in the popular training simulator games which were all the rage in Fizzytopia. Even if Levin did not particularly care for Abra, there was an element of challenge to capturing such an evasive creature. Perhaps it was the lure of a similar challenge that tempted Levin to help the boy in his pursuit of the Ralts.

“Thanks anyway,” the boy responds with some measure of melancholy; before he turns to leave, however, Levin tells the boy that he has a question, and since he’s older, he’s allowed to ask two. The young boy pouts at this logic, muttering something under his breath, but at least he remains in place to listen to what Levin has to ask. The boy pauses a moment after hearing the pair of questions, eyeing Levin with some measure of suspicion. He was a stranger, after all, and chances were good that this boy had heard the speech about talking to strangers more than once, even in his short lifetime. Despite the initial hesitation, however, he eventually nods resolutely.

“My name’s Ezra, but everyone calls me Raz.” The young boy named Raz grins widely, exposing the chip on his front tooth. “My family runs the Psychic Ranch here in Mediville. We’ve got Girafarig, Munna, Musharna, Spoink and Grumpig, plenty of Woobat and Swoobat… All sorts of things! We don’t have Ralts, though… That’s part of why I’m chasing this one. I want a Ralts soooo bad.” Raz’s expression darkens somewhat, giving a substantially older look to his young face. “The other part is… well, you don’t see psychic types in Mediville that don’t come from our farm very often. Ma and Pa say that when we do… Usually, it means there’s some kind of trouble.” Despite the bit of dread that came over the boy, a grin returns to Raz’s face quickly. “I bet if I catch the Ralts, it’ll help me, right? Won’t it have to?”

As Raz explains his motivations to Levin, the experienced trainer cannot help but notice a strong presence behind Raz… Looking discretely over his shoulder, he can see the green cap and red horn of the very Pokemon in question. For a brief moment, the Ralts’ horn glows, and Levin inexplicably feels a strong compulsion to follow the creature. The glowing, as well as the compulsion, stops simultaneously as Raz turns around, his eyes lighting up… much to the creature’s horror.

“THERE YOU ARE!” The eager Raz cries out, immediately flinging the Pokeball in the Ralts’ direction. The panicked green-topped Pokemon immediately teleports away, just before the Pokeball closes in on it.
“Drat,” the young boy mutters, kicking his dirty, sneakered feet at the ground. “You see what I mean?”

Though Levin is unsure exactly how, he can sense that the Ralts is somewhere nearby, in the direction of the Western Path.

How will Levin react?

Forest of Adventure

Missingno. Master – Keith gives Itzal and Tzila’s proposition some thought. Certainly, the poison-type trainer did not consider himself a murderer the likes of which showed up on the Fizzytopian Evening News in mugshots alongside gristly photos of bloody crime scenes, though it seemed as if these assassins were very particular in their targets. It would be reasonable to assume, then, that those individuals whom Itzal and Tzila murdered were likely deserving of their fates. Keith could not be sure of exactly how and why they were deserving, but he reasons that he may as well look into it, at the very least.

After contemplating for a few moments, Keith turns to Itzal and Tzila, informing them of his decision to accompany them to their hideout. The pair look at each other for a moment – Itzal with a look of excitement, and Tzila with a look of concern – before turning back to Keith, both apparently smiling under their cloth masks, though it is difficult for Tzila to hide her… less than enthusiastic opinion of the situation.

“You will come with us, then? Very well! No speaking from this point forward. Minimize all noises that you make. Follow us closely.” Itzal nods to Tzila, and as Itzal recalls his Drapion, a Spinarak crawls up Tzila’s back, peering over her shoulder with a curious expression. She pats the creature on the head, recalling it before she and her partner bound off into the shadowy forest, leaving Keith sprinting with all his strength to keep up with the stealthy, black-clad duo. Though the pair is incredibly difficult to see in the forest shade, Myrtle’s vision in the darkness allows her to trail the two, with Keith following close behind his Shuppet. Itzal and Tzila dart and weave through the trees and shrubs with astonishing grace, so much so that it is difficult for Keith and Myrtle to so much as hear their footsteps.

Finally, the two ninja-like trainers stop at a clearing, and wait only a second for Myrtle and Keith to catch up before Tzila reaches into the grass and pulls on a barely-visible green handle sticking out of the ground. The ground beside the lever shakes with the strength of Tzila’s pull, and ultimately comes loose, revealing a decent-sized, square trapdoor beneath the ground. As the door opens, Itzal immediately jumps onto the ladder leading further underground, and Tzila motions for Keith and Myrtle to follow. “Hurry,” she whispers, as Keith follows Itzal into the hideout. Tzila jumps in after Keith and Myrtle, closing the door behind them. As soon as the door is closed, any light that came in from the surface vanishes, and the three trainers and Myrtle are left in complete darkness. Overhead, the sound of rustling can be heard.

“You got the light, Itzal?” Tzila asks as she follows Keith down the ladder. “Oh, in case you’re wondering… What you’re hearing are the Drilbur. We trained them to help build this hideout, and now, they’re replacing the ground and the fake grass that covers the trapdoor. Very efficient means of hiding, you know… going underground.”

As Itzal flicks on the light, Keith and Myrtle are finally able to take a good look at their surroundings; the ladder leads to a beautiful underground temple, with wood ceilings and floors, and intricately painted scrolls depicting various poison Pokemon in attack poses. A few other trainers in similar clothing to Itzal and Tzila, with similarly blackened eyes, tend to a group of healthy-looking poison Pokemon. A young woman plays with a pair of Seviper, who pretend to choke her as she laughs. An older man offers his arm to a baby Zubat, who feasts upon his blood as the mother Crobat looks on from the rafters. Most interesting to Keith, however, is the underground stream which cuts through this poisonous paradise, which a teenage boy – no older than 15 or so – seems to be tending. He throws some seeds and berries into the pool for a group of eager Qwilfish, who gobble the meal right up. As he feeds the Qwilfish, a lone Tentacool swims around the Qwilfish, looking to eat, but receiving nothing as the eager Qwilfish consume the entire feast. The Tentacool looks up at the young boy with pleading eyes, but he sadly shakes his head and walks away. Itzal, too, seems to have noticed the Tentacool’s predicament, and turns to Keith, noting that his eyes have gone in the same direction;

“That stream leads to a shallow lake in the Arcane Realms. Only small water types can make it in and out of the hideout, and normally, our older Pokemon go outside to feed there. That little Tentacool is just old enough to start hunting on her own… She is incredibly powerful, but she still wants to rely on us. It is hard to explain to her that it is for her own good.” Itzal shakes his head. “Her poison has already taken three of our potential members… Including one she took a clear liking to. I think, in her mind, she feels as if she is being punished for the death that her body has wrought, though it is not her fault that one with the strength to consume her poison has yet to appear.”

Tzila approaches Itzal and places a hand on his shoulder. “Her heart just needs time to mend, is all,” she comments, before turning to Keith. “Now, you said that you were interested in joining us, were you? Perhaps you would like to ask some questions of us… or maybe take a look around. Your choice.”

What will Keith and Myrtle do?

Son_of_Shadows – Joshua is visibly shaken by the vision which flashed before his eyes, courtesy of the deceased pupae residing in the strange cocoon he had picked up. Dropping the rotting shell to the ground, its final message to the trainer takes the form of an arrow, which points the way for Joshua and Trucy. The Kadabra comes to her master’s side, attempting to comfort him while assessing his current mental state. Joshua assures her that he is feeling all right, and with the help of some delicious breakfast tacos, the pair revive somewhat, feeling better now that their hunger was sated, at least. After taking a few minutes to eat and to regain composure, Joshua eventually stands up again, resolving to investigate the mystery presented to him by the Metapod. Turning to Trucy, he explains his intent, emphatically expressing his desire that the message given to him by the spirit does not go in vain. Perhaps they would be able to put the life cycle of the Butterfree back into motion, but both he and Trucy would have to exercise great caution. After all, the shadowy figure that Joshua observed extracting the pupae was more than likely against their mission…

Moving confidently, yet carefully in the direction of the arrow, the man and his Pokemon leave the tragically silent clearing and find themselves moving through dense foliage on a narrow, shady path. The pair treads as softly as possible through the forest, attempting to search for anything related to the Metapod Mystery. At first, aside from the distant calls of Pokemon and a small variety of plant life, there appears to be nothing of interest. As the two plod on, however, they become aware of shadowy objects suspended in the trees… More Metapod, perhaps? These cocoon-shaped objects seem to be suspended high up in the branches of some particularly tall trees, and would require some means of either knocking them down or climbing up the tree to examine them. Perhaps there would be a clue with these cocoons. Just as interesting as the cocoons, however, is the faint sound of a human speaking in the distance, with the strange sound of metallic grinding coming from the same direction… It is hard to hear what the person is saying from Joshua and Trucy’s location, but there was always the chance that this person had some relation to the mysterious goings-on that Joshua and Trucy have found themselves entangled in.

MarbleZone- Levin admits to the young boy that he has not seen the Ralts in question, which causes the boy to audibly sigh with disappointment. It was a feeling that Levin could relate to, given his memories of being a boy himself, attempting to capture those pesky, teleporting Abra in the popular training simulator games which were all the rage in Fizzytopia. Even if Levin did not particularly care for Abra, there was an element of challenge to capturing such an evasive creature. Perhaps it was the lure of a similar challenge that tempted Levin to help the boy in his pursuit of the Ralts.

“Thanks anyway,” the boy responds with some measure of melancholy; before he turns to leave, however, Levin tells the boy that he has a question, and since he’s older, he’s allowed to ask two. The young boy pouts at this logic, muttering something under his breath, but at least he remains in place to listen to what Levin has to ask. The boy pauses a moment after hearing the pair of questions, eyeing Levin with some measure of suspicion. He was a stranger, after all, and chances were good that this boy had heard the speech about talking to strangers more than once, even in his short lifetime. Despite the initial hesitation, however, he eventually nods resolutely.

“My name’s Ezra, but everyone calls me Raz.” The young boy named Raz grins widely, exposing the chip on his front tooth. “My family runs the Psychic Ranch here in Mediville. We’ve got Girafarig, Munna, Musharna, Spoink and Grumpig, plenty of Woobat and Swoobat… All sorts of things! We don’t have Ralts, though… That’s part of why I’m chasing this one. I want a Ralts soooo bad.” Raz’s expression darkens somewhat, giving a substantially older look to his young face. “The other part is… well, you don’t see psychic types in Mediville that don’t come from our farm very often. Ma and Pa say that when we do… Usually, it means there’s some kind of trouble.” Despite the bit of dread that came over the boy, a grin returns to Raz’s face quickly. “I bet if I catch the Ralts, it’ll help me, right? Won’t it have to?”

As Raz explains his motivations to Levin, the experienced trainer cannot help but notice a strong presence behind Raz… Looking discretely over his shoulder, he can see the green cap and red horn of the very Pokemon in question. For a brief moment, the Ralts’ horn glows, and Levin inexplicably feels a strong compulsion to follow the creature. The glowing, as well as the compulsion, stops simultaneously as Raz turns around, his eyes lighting up… much to the creature’s horror.

“THERE YOU ARE!” The eager Raz cries out, immediately flinging the Pokeball in the Ralts’ direction. The panicked green-topped Pokemon immediately teleports away, just before the Pokeball closes in on it.
“Drat,” the young boy mutters, kicking his dirty, sneakered feet at the ground. “You see what I mean?”

Though Levin is unsure exactly how, he can sense that the Ralts is somewhere nearby, in the direction of the Western Path.

How will Levin react?

((Again, thanks for doing this, I appreciate the effort ^^))

A ranch of Psychic Pokémon? He could instantly think of at least five other establishments of irrelevant repute he'd prefer to see featured on his dreams... especially this one. Something was way off; it was becoming apparent that he wasn't really controlling much of anything around here.

Perhaps because he distinctively lacked any kind of paternal instinct, Levin found himself unable to smile warmly at the boy like his parents surely would have done. He figured trying to look friendly was common courtesy, so he'd give that a shot; and even then, he found himself struggling not to openly laugh at some of the things the brat said.
Like he had started doing since reconciling with his older brother, Levin tried to think how Ivan would react. He realized that, to any little kid other than Levin himself, his brother would have given out advice and probably gone the extra mile to help. Fine...

- Raz, yes? Seems we all have problems around here - your parents have an unwanted Psychic-Type around, you have a Psychic-Type around that you want but can't catch, and I have unwanted visitors. Maybe if we work together to unite you and Ralts, everyone will have their issues settled!

He tried not to sound too enthusiastic at the end. After all, if helping the boy catch this Ralts was all it took to get his own life back on track, it was worth it - and it could have been worse, Raz could be hunting a Gyarados. He could easily just pummel the thing with one of his Pokemon, catch it and hand it over to the boy, but... something felt wrong about that, and it bothered Levin - it shouldn't feel wrong, because neither Raz nor Ralts meant anything to him. And yet, he found himself giving spontaneous advice... just like Ivan. Ugh.

- I'll help you out, but... this is your capture to make. You won't grow as a Trainer if you leave it to someone else. And keep something in mind... - he remembered all the unruly Pokemon he brought along for his journey through Mediville. - Just because you catch a Pokemon, it doesn't "have to" do as you say. Pokemon won't obey you just because you own them; take it from me.

He refused to go into long speeches about love and friendship; someone would have "the talk" with him one day, and it wasn't gonna be him. But he felt the need to break that dangerous illusion before it got out of hand, both for Ezra's and his future Ralts' sake.

- Now, where do we... what?

A third presence... He could feel it! Close to Raz was the source of all this... Suddenly he saw it; its red horn glowing briefly, a Ralts stood directly behind the boy, and as the light flickered, Levin felt an inexplicable need to follow the Psychic-Type. But before he could make a move, Raz must have noticed his change of expression and turned around, throwing a Pokeball at the Ralts as soon as the realization set in. Unfortunately for them both, the Pokemon once again Teleported away, leaving behind a disappointed Ezra.

What was that? It was as if it was... calling to me? It's gone now but... Wait.

Raz looked like he was about to give up, deeply upset at his most recent failure. Levin knelt down and placed a hand on his arm.

- The most important thing is to keep trying. You have no idea how hard I had to work to get some of my companions. If you drop your shoulders and quit, you'll never get anywhere. Come on, the bugger's still close, I...

...I can feel it.

His gut was telling him Ralts was nearby. Or was it his mind instead? Either way, the calling he felt upon gazing at the horn was still there, fading, weak, but not gone. It told him to head to the the road on the left but he couldn't for the life of him make out the name of the streets... It didn't matter; he had decided to temporarily ignore how messed up his perfect dream turned out to be and look deeper into the Psychic farmboy's problem - if only to get back to his "normal" life as soon as possible. Hah. Normal.

But if they were after a Pokemon who could vanish into thin air as it pleased, he was bringing backup. He reached for his belt to grab Opal the Venonat's Pokeball... only to remember that he hadn't brought her along. Or anybody else that could be helpful right now, for that matter. He cursed his luck, but then again, there'd been no luck involved; it was his choice to bring only four Pokemon along. Hebi, Magnus and Spike wouldn't help in a situation like this, being completely unable to detect invisible opponents. Baal did have Supersonic, a move that could be useful, but how wise was it to bust out an Aerodactyl in public, especially one that wouldn't obey him, even if this was a dream? His fingers grazed the Timer Ball, but didn't grab it.

- That way Raz. Your little friend seems to want to play tag with us, let's see who wins!

He headed boldly towards the road on his left, relying on nothing but the feeling on the back of his mind to guide him; it had to be there for a reason. But how could they lure it out without a Pokemon to detect it? He needed more information... Whipping out his Pokedex, he skimmed through Ralts's entry - mostly incomplete, as he'd never run into one before, but he found what he was looking for. That's right... Ralts are attuned to others' emotions. It will hide if it senses hostility, but will appear to friendly people!

- While we try to spot it, keep in mind what I told you; don't track it down in hopes that it will obey your every order. Just think of it as a potential friend and maybe, just maybe, it'll warm up to you.

He felt like a kindergarten teacher talking like this, but as ashamed as he was to admit it, it was all he had to go on. He looked around as they walked; no sign of the Pokemon, but the certainty of proximity grew... He was suddenly reminded of something else the boy said amidst all that nonsense: "You don’t see psychic types in Mediville that don’t come from our farm very often. Ma and Pa say that when we do… Usually, it means there’s some kind of trouble."

((Sorry these updates took so long! I'm finally on Summer Break, so expect more frequent updates from here on out. Everyone's posts are looking great so far, so let's move right along, shall we?))

Forest of Adventure

Missingno. Master – Keith gives Itzal and Tzila’s proposition some thought. Certainly, the poison-type trainer did not consider himself a murderer the likes of which showed up on the Fizzytopian Evening News in mugshots alongside gristly photos of bloody crime scenes, though it seemed as if these assassins were very particular in their targets. It would be reasonable to assume, then, that those individuals whom Itzal and Tzila murdered were likely deserving of their fates. Keith could not be sure of exactly how and why they were deserving, but he reasons that he may as well look into it, at the very least.

After contemplating for a few moments, Keith turns to Itzal and Tzila, informing them of his decision to accompany them to their hideout. The pair look at each other for a moment – Itzal with a look of excitement, and Tzila with a look of concern – before turning back to Keith, both apparently smiling under their cloth masks, though it is difficult for Tzila to hide her… less than enthusiastic opinion of the situation.

“You will come with us, then? Very well! No speaking from this point forward. Minimize all noises that you make. Follow us closely.” Itzal nods to Tzila, and as Itzal recalls his Drapion, a Spinarak crawls up Tzila’s back, peering over her shoulder with a curious expression. She pats the creature on the head, recalling it before she and her partner bound off into the shadowy forest, leaving Keith sprinting with all his strength to keep up with the stealthy, black-clad duo. Though the pair is incredibly difficult to see in the forest shade, Myrtle’s vision in the darkness allows her to trail the two, with Keith following close behind his Shuppet. Itzal and Tzila dart and weave through the trees and shrubs with astonishing grace, so much so that it is difficult for Keith and Myrtle to so much as hear their footsteps.

Finally, the two ninja-like trainers stop at a clearing, and wait only a second for Myrtle and Keith to catch up before Tzila reaches into the grass and pulls on a barely-visible green handle sticking out of the ground. The ground beside the lever shakes with the strength of Tzila’s pull, and ultimately comes loose, revealing a decent-sized, square trapdoor beneath the ground. As the door opens, Itzal immediately jumps onto the ladder leading further underground, and Tzila motions for Keith and Myrtle to follow. “Hurry,” she whispers, as Keith follows Itzal into the hideout. Tzila jumps in after Keith and Myrtle, closing the door behind them. As soon as the door is closed, any light that came in from the surface vanishes, and the three trainers and Myrtle are left in complete darkness. Overhead, the sound of rustling can be heard.

“You got the light, Itzal?” Tzila asks as she follows Keith down the ladder. “Oh, in case you’re wondering… What you’re hearing are the Drilbur. We trained them to help build this hideout, and now, they’re replacing the ground and the fake grass that covers the trapdoor. Very efficient means of hiding, you know… going underground.”

As Itzal flicks on the light, Keith and Myrtle are finally able to take a good look at their surroundings; the ladder leads to a beautiful underground temple, with wood ceilings and floors, and intricately painted scrolls depicting various poison Pokemon in attack poses. A few other trainers in similar clothing to Itzal and Tzila, with similarly blackened eyes, tend to a group of healthy-looking poison Pokemon. A young woman plays with a pair of Seviper, who pretend to choke her as she laughs. An older man offers his arm to a baby Zubat, who feasts upon his blood as the mother Crobat looks on from the rafters. Most interesting to Keith, however, is the underground stream which cuts through this poisonous paradise, which a teenage boy – no older than 15 or so – seems to be tending. He throws some seeds and berries into the pool for a group of eager Qwilfish, who gobble the meal right up. As he feeds the Qwilfish, a lone Tentacool swims around the Qwilfish, looking to eat, but receiving nothing as the eager Qwilfish consume the entire feast. The Tentacool looks up at the young boy with pleading eyes, but he sadly shakes his head and walks away. Itzal, too, seems to have noticed the Tentacool’s predicament, and turns to Keith, noting that his eyes have gone in the same direction;

“That stream leads to a shallow lake in the Arcane Realms. Only small water types can make it in and out of the hideout, and normally, our older Pokemon go outside to feed there. That little Tentacool is just old enough to start hunting on her own… She is incredibly powerful, but she still wants to rely on us. It is hard to explain to her that it is for her own good.” Itzal shakes his head. “Her poison has already taken three of our potential members… Including one she took a clear liking to. I think, in her mind, she feels as if she is being punished for the death that her body has wrought, though it is not her fault that one with the strength to consume her poison has yet to appear.”

Tzila approaches Itzal and places a hand on his shoulder. “Her heart just needs time to mend, is all,” she comments, before turning to Keith. “Now, you said that you were interested in joining us, were you? Perhaps you would like to ask some questions of us… or maybe take a look around. Your choice.”

What will Keith and Myrtle do?

Keith told Itzal and Tzila that he would accompany them back to their hideout, and after the two of them exchanged decidedly different looks, turned back to face him, telling him to not speak any further, and to minimize any noise he made. Keith nodded silently, as did Myrtle, but it then became clear to Keith that the challenge wouldn't be keeping silent... it would be keeping up with the pair of ninja-like trainers. Arceus damn it, were they quick! What was worse, their dark clothing made them nearly impossible to see in the forest, but Myrtle was able to help with that- her eyesight in the dark was decidedly better than Keith's. She had no problem following Itzal and Tzila, and Keith in turn had significantly less trouble following Myrtle.

At last, they came to a clearing, where the ninja-esque trainers paused to allow Keith and Myrtle to catch up. Only for a second, but still. Tzila then proceeded to open up a decent-sized trapdoor, one which Keith would never have discovered otherwise. Itzal instantly descended the ladder, and Tzila urged Keith and Myrtle to go down the ladder themselves, and quickly. They did as told, and Tzila brought up the rear, closing the door behind them. In an instant, they were in total darkness. Keith also heard a rustling sound above him, which Tzila wasted no time in explaining- it was a bunch of Drilbur that had been trained to help build the hideout, and they were currently replacing all the displaced soil and fake grass so as to cover the trapdoor once more. Somewhat morbidly, Keith couldn't help but be impressed at how much effort had been put into the hiding of this hideout, ignoring the fact that it was home to murderers. Besides, it's not as though they were indiscriminate killers who just slaughtered whoever they so pleased... Right?

Before Keith could dwell on this for more than half a second, Itzal turned the light on, and Keith looked around- they were in an underground temple with wood ceilings and floors. The various scrolls were intricately painted to depict Poison-type Pokémon in attacking poses. Scattered around the hideout were trainers dressed not unlike Itzal and Tzila, and their eyes were also blackened, and they were all interacting with various Poison-types- Seviper and Zubat, Keith could see right away. As he noticed an older man allowing an infant Zubat to suck his blood, Keith recalled Hedwig's days as a Zubat. Though he was happy to help her improve her hunting technique, and help her find sustenance when hunting was slow, he never allowed her to drink his own blood- in those days, Hedwig had been rather obsessed with blood, and it had been his fear that if she acquired a taste for his blood, she might one day just bleed him dry. Of course, Hedwig never objected to this- Keith always kept her well-fed, and she was currently a very healthy and very loyal Crobat. Then, however, Keith's train of thought was once more interrupted as he noticed an underground stream which seemed to run right through the hideout. A teenage boy was tending to the Pokémon here, throwing seeds and berries into the water for a school of Qwilfish. It was at that point Keith noticed a single Tentacool, trying to get some food along with the Qwilfish, but ultimately ending up with nothing. Keith couldn't help but feel sorry for this Tentacool as the teenage boy wouldn't provide her with food.

Itzal noticed the issue, and also noticed that Keith had noticed, and explained; that Tentacool was old enough to hunt for herself, and very powerful, too, but preferred to rely on them for sustenance. He went on to add that her poison had killed three of their potential members, one of whom she had taken a liking to, and hypothesized that she felt as though the lack of food was punishment for the death she has caused. Keith found it hard to not tear up at this story, and his sympathy for the Tentacool grew. Tzila then allowed Keith the chance to ask some questions of them, or else have a look around. Though Keith was interested in seeing more of this place (the presence of so many Poison-types was certainly helping to make him feel more at ease), he had a few questions.

"I have a few questions, actually," he said. "First, something I think I should establish right away- I'm not gonna be comfortable if I'm required to kill just anyone. What I want to know is, do the people you guys kill all deserve to be killed? Sorry if that's a stupid question, I'd just feel better if I knew for sure. And second, I recall you mentioned a Pokémon in need of a partner, that you were unable to find a partner for who didn't die from drinking her venom... am I correct in assuming that you were talking about that Tentacool? Oh, and third... how did your eyes get like that?" he added.

LucarioArtcunoSuicunLover: ((Navy terms aren't my strong suit; if you spot a mistake in the ship's description feel free to point it out, this is a learning process for us both :P))

The sudden lack of sympathy by the boat’s occupants catches you off-guard. Instead of being carried to safety, you’re suddenly gauged by your potential value to an operation you know nothing about – and your survival hangs on your answer!

You try to stall for time, as nerves begin to take the better of you – regardless of your relative expertise in matters of marine biology, your would-be savior is too vague in his clues for you to capitalize on it. Or was he?... As you instinctively reach for your belt, the metallic touch of a Pokeball lights a spark in your head – Squishy! He could serve as the perfect bait for whatever kind of Pokemon these men might be after.

The Ditto perches itself on top of your head with a goofy smile, and you await the man’s reply with anticipation – were you convincing enough?...
He seems to ponder for a while.

- You said you came here to do research? You’re quite young for that… but maybe we could use you nonetheless. As for Ditto, well… I doubt even he can properly replicate what we’re hunting, but it’s worth a shot. Hop inside, girl.

---

The journey back to the ship is largely uneventful; the two occupants don’t really talk much, or perhaps they just don’t want to talk around you. Whichever the reason, it makes for a pretty boring ride. When the boat approaches the hull, four ropes are hurled down from the ship, each with a large hook at the end; the two men expertly tie the ropes and lock the hooks in the appropriate housings and the boat is reeled up, ever so slowly.

After the small vessel is brought all the way up, three men in sailor suits walk up to meet you. They help the other two out of the boat and look at you inquisitively, hesitant to pull you inside. The one that questioned you earlier speaks in your behalf.

- The lass comes with us. We found her stranded on the ocean, apparently doing some “research”. She might be helpful; I’ll take her to the captain.

With that, they help you jump into the ship. It’s a frankly impressive sight; so high is the deck, that you can see the ocean for miles around – and even so, no sign of the boat you came in. Wow.

- Move along girl. No time to be standing around.

The man leads you inside, through doors and corridors you couldn’t memorize even if you wanted to; despite your relative familiarity with the sea, you’ve never been on a ship this big. After a while, he opens a final door and pushes you inside. The room has windows facing the front of the ship, and there’s someone at the wheel with his back turned to you. Clearly, you’re on the bridge.

- Captain, my apologies, there’s something you should see.

The man keeps his back turned, and it takes a while before he even answers, in a deep, scruffy voice.

- Unless it’s Roatoga, stop wasting my time Admiral.

- No sir, but it might help us capture her for good. This girl claims she’s a marine researcher, and favours field work unlike than the useless bunch we have on board, who cling to monitors and fail to get results. She also happens to be in possession of a Ditto, which might be a better decoy than anything we have tried thus far.

That seems to get the Captain’s attention. He turns to face you, and it’s clear to you that this is no rookie steering the ship – much taller than you, with a thick white beard and a hard expression, skin tanned and roughened by the sun and salt, he embodies the definition of a sea dog.
He looks at you for a long while with an unreadable expression, then walks up to you and talks without so much as faking a smile.

- You’re a girl.

The way he says it sounds like the word itself tastes so foul and bitter that he needs to spit it.

- A tiny one, at least. You won’t be wasting much of our supplies, I reckon. Tell me lassie, what can you really do to justify your presence in my ship? I’ve been after Roatoga for twenty years. This particular crew has been at sea for months now, most of them are male, and I can’t remember the last time we’ve been to port. Leaving you to wander the decks on your own would be your downfall, sweetie; the only way you’d walk out as pure and sweet as you walked in would be to stay under my protection; but I have no time and no patience for dead weight, so… how do you propose we catch the absolute biggest, smartest sea creature in the entire world? If your Ditto is a run-of-the-mill pink one, I have some doubts it could ever truly capture the magnificence of Roatoga either…

It’s crystal-clear that your well-being inside this vessel hangs on your answer once again; you have no doubt the Captain cares little for anyone who isn’t useful, even if that person is a defenseless teenager. With so little to work with, what can you possibly answer that will satisfy him? And if you’re after a Pokemon, why wouldn’t Squishy be able to duplicate it with ease?

You look around, trying to buy some time, when a photograph stuck to the steering wheel catches your eye. It’s too far away to clearly make it out, but it seems to be the portrait of a white and purple creature… Think Lass, what would be the “biggest sea creature in the world”, coloured purple and white and troublesome for a "regular" Ditto to copy, so rare that the Captain would spend twenty years of his life hunting down?...

What is your answer?

((Heh, don't fret too much; my specialty's the things living in the seas. Dunno much about boats myself ^_^ Also sorry if this is a bit short compared to the update, it's getting towards the end of semester here and this is the first assignment-free time I've had in a couple of weeks. I wanted to get something out before they come back in full force.))

El fidgeted nervously during the entirety of the short trip onto the ship, clinging as well as she could to her little pink blob. What had she gotten herself into? The fact that the two burly men remained silent for the whole trip only made it worse, filling the small girl's heart with a sense of dread. Couldn't they at least try to make small talk? But no, they didn't even make the most cursory attempt at conversation. She distracted herself from her predicament by returning Justin and fiddling with the small collection of Pokéballs she'd bought along.

Not helping matters in the least was her realisation of the sheer scale of the ship as the dinghy moved closer. It was one thing to see it and know that it was large, but it was another one entirely to watch as it slowly drew closer, looming over her. For a brief moment she could have sworn that it was the biggest thing she'd ever seen, even though she'd been to large cities with taller sky scrapers before. It was just that impressive compared to the seemingly infinite flatness of the surrounding ocean. Really, Squishy's ability withstand extreme hug pressures was about the only thing keeping El from doing something monumentally stupid as the dinghy was hoisted upwards like a half-finished elevator. Though about half-way up she had second thoughts and recalled the blob, no need to go around parading with such a rare pokémon on a boat full of strangers.

On the ship was even more overwhelming. So many doors and windows and unnervingly-narrow paths. She watched as her new 'friends' spoke to the crewmen who had hoisted their dinghy up. Something about her going with them? She wasn't sure; it was all so overwhelming that she couldn't thing straight enough to notice much more than the vitals. There were no complaints from her as the men dragged her about, the view from the boat of the seemingly endless see was more than enough motivation to stay on their good sides.

The ship’s interior wasn’t any more welcoming, not in the least because of the confusing path her guides took. Lefts and rights and twists and turns, it was all enough to make her head spin. It was a brief relief when they left the claustrophobic halls for the bridge, a feeling which faded the instant El found herself facing who could only be the captain. He took a bit of convincing from the sailors to turn around. By the time he did, it was all El could do to keep her hands from trembling.

“You’re a girl.”

“Y-yes sir!” El sputtered out.

“A tiny one, at least. You won’t be wasting much of our supplies, I reckon. Tell me lassie, what can you really do to justify your presence in my ship? I’ve been after Roatoga for twenty years. This particular crew has been at sea for months now, most of them are male, and I can’t remember the last time we’ve been to port. Leaving you to wander the decks on your own would be your downfall, sweetie; the only way you’d walk out as pure and sweet as you walked in would be to stay under my protection; but I have no time and no patience for dead weight, so… how do you propose we catch the absolute biggest, smartest sea creature in the entire world? If your Ditto is a run-of-the-mill pink one, I have some doubts it could ever truly capture the magnificence of Roatoga either…”

Run-of-the-mill? El couldn’t help but think how offended Squishy would be at that insinuation. Really, it was probably a good thing she’d put it back in his ball. “W-well sir, it, it is pink, I’ll give you that, but he’s very stubborn, you see. If, if he, it, whatever doesn’t do as well as you need it to you can bet your socks that it won’t stop trying till it gets it right! A-and he’s good at behaviour too! Like, I’ve lost track of the times that he’s tricked me into thinking he was one of my other Pokémon and I have quite a few kinds! Like, bug and flying and normal and a couple of waters and a steel/grass and dark and I guess this isn’t really relevant sorry!”

Even as El rattled off her spiel about Squishy, her mind kept drifting back to just what kind of Pokémon the captain might be after. Water was denser than air, meaning the creatures within it could get larger without having to worry too much about getting crushed by their own weight. And there were plenty (i.e. nearly everything) that El would consider ‘magnificent’, so that didn’t narrow things down much. Before she knew it, between her spruiking and curiosity, her breathing and heart rate had come back down, though she had a feeling that wouldn’t last long.

Son_of_Shadows – Joshua is visibly shaken by the vision which flashed before his eyes, courtesy of the deceased pupae residing in the strange cocoon he had picked up. Dropping the rotting shell to the ground, its final message to the trainer takes the form of an arrow, which points the way for Joshua and Trucy. The Kadabra comes to her master’s side, attempting to comfort him while assessing his current mental state. Joshua assures her that he is feeling all right, and with the help of some delicious breakfast tacos, the pair revive somewhat, feeling better now that their hunger was sated, at least. After taking a few minutes to eat and to regain composure, Joshua eventually stands up again, resolving to investigate the mystery presented to him by the Metapod. Turning to Trucy, he explains his intent, emphatically expressing his desire that the message given to him by the spirit does not go in vain. Perhaps they would be able to put the life cycle of the Butterfree back into motion, but both he and Trucy would have to exercise great caution. After all, the shadowy figure that Joshua observed extracting the pupae was more than likely against their mission…

Moving confidently, yet carefully in the direction of the arrow, the man and his Pokemon leave the tragically silent clearing and find themselves moving through dense foliage on a narrow, shady path. The pair treads as softly as possible through the forest, attempting to search for anything related to the Metapod Mystery. At first, aside from the distant calls of Pokemon and a small variety of plant life, there appears to be nothing of interest. As the two plod on, however, they become aware of shadowy objects suspended in the trees… More Metapod, perhaps? These cocoon-shaped objects seem to be suspended high up in the branches of some particularly tall trees, and would require some means of either knocking them down or climbing up the tree to examine them. Perhaps there would be a clue with these cocoons. Just as interesting as the cocoons, however, is the faint sound of a human speaking in the distance, with the strange sound of metallic grinding coming from the same direction… It is hard to hear what the person is saying from Joshua and Trucy’s location, but there was always the chance that this person had some relation to the mysterious goings-on that Joshua and Trucy have found themselves entangled in.

How will Joshua and Trucy react?

With the tacos polished off, the intrepid investigatory duo was off. A modern day Holmes and Watson, if Holmes were a rather reckless Pokémon trainer, and Watson were a prank-happy Kadabra who was still lacking in the art of telepathy. In other words, not a modern day Holmes and Watson at all. More like a bad eighties buddy cop movie or television show duo. That sounded a bit closer to the truth really. In any case, they were off, ready to put the Metapod to rest. Where was the mysterious arrow leading them? Who could tell? The Metapod that had left them it, presumably. But it was slightly dead. In any case, it would surely lead to a clue at the very least. In spite of the seriousness of the vision, Joshua was enjoying himself, at least a little bit. He was seeing this as an opportunity to practice his investigatory skills.

Justice and investigation. He loved them. He'd always loved crime dramas, and he'd studied some criminology textbooks a while ago. Not for any major purpose, just because he loved justice. Prior to discovering his talents as an actor and his love of the theatre, Joshua had wanted to become a prosecuting attorney, or maybe some kind of detective. But that was many years ago. He'd changed since then. He'd discovered new passions and talents, and old ones, though still a faint light in his mind, didn't burn as brightly, and he couldn't see himself being guided towards them any more. His career lay elsewhere and he knew it. Not that he intended to think about that until his journey was done. Whenever he decided that would be. Once he found Celebi? Probably not. He'd know when it was time to end his journey. No point in setting a definite end. Even so, in this moment, he felt himself being carried back to those younger days, when he lived for the idea of catching the bad guys, or making sure that the courts had them locked up. Blissful nostalgia mixed with adventure. And really, he'd already had similar opportunities on other adventures with Team Galactic and Team Aqua. Maybe this was something that would continue to be a part of him forever.

Eventually however, the intrepid duo began to make some progress. The path thus far had been largely empty, and Joshua had to admit that he was still slightly uneasy about potentially getting lost in this forest. He still had no idea where they were after all, all he really knew was that it was a forest. Well done there Holmes. Brilliance. Of course, the real Holmes would be able to tell from the composition of the soil where they were. He wondered if there was a Grass Pokémon who could do the same thing. Probably somewhere. But as they advanced deeper into the forest, Joshua and Trucy began to notice the occasional shadow of a object that was suspended in the trees. Closer inspection made them appear cocoon-shaped, but there was no feasible way to tell without actually getting his hands on one. At the same time however, a voice became audible through the trees. He couldn't tell the person's sex however, due to the sound of a machine alongside it. A chainsaw perhaps? Could this person be related to the Metapod harvest? What about the cocoons above them? The arrow had pointed them this way of course, but whether it was referring to the person or the cocoons was unclear.

He weighed up his options. He could have Trucy use Confusion to lift down a cocoon. If it was a trap, it would probably get them killed. Or he could scale the tree for a closer look. That didn't seem like a viable alternative. Perhaps it was time to let Bishop the Hoothoot out of his ball to get a closer look. Then there was the matter of the person. If they were responsible for the harvest, they mightn't be so keen to talk. But he had no evidence for or against that possibility, so he had to assume they were innocent until shown otherwise. Of course, he could be walking in on them doing something they shouldn't. And if they were armed with a chainsaw... He could try to fight them off at least. However, this person could also tell him where he was, if nothing else. And he could come back for the cocoons later, but the person might move on shortly. His path was clear. But he couldn't afford to make mention of the Metapods until he was sure that this person was safe. Joshua and Trucy advanced through the trees in the direction of the voice. He first warned Trucy to be on guard, prepared to defend if necessary and called out to them. "Excuse me? Hello? I seem to be a little lost... Could you tell me where I am?"

Originally Posted by scytherdude30
no no no you need an empoleon as your powerhouse da listen to me man I AM THE BOMB

Originally Posted by Zincspider

Yes, someone is getting 'killed'... HOORAY FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!....

Silverton Ranges (Please reply in LightSteelBlue)
A snow-capped mountain range where many wild Pokémon reside. Many old mines litter the mountainside from the days when silver was heavily mined, but due to the often below zero temperatures, they were eventually abandoned. Rumor has it however, that there are still many valuable ores hidden within the mountains.

Stepping onto the ice ridden and frost-bitten mountain, Icarus rubs his numb hands together in vain attempts to warm them up, but quickly stops in this futile task. Instead, Icarus shoves the two hands deep into his jacket pockets. It hasn't been long since Icarus left home on that fateful day, but yet Icarus has already found himself stuck on an infernally cold mountain. Choosing this mountain definitely wasn't the way to go.

By glancing at his partner Seth, the Gligar, Icarus was sure that Seth currently had the same train of thought. He looked awful. Currently, Seth has his pincers wrapped around his body, and was shivering madly. The only reminder of his once cheerful and playful attitude was the constant gliding, of which was getting quickly annoying, so Icarus decided to cheer him up. "It's going to be a long journey, so might as well set off with a bright outlook," Icarus murmured.

"Hey, Seth! You doing okay there?" Icarus questioned. Seth gave off a mournful shake of his head, and Icarus continued. "I know it's rough going, with all this chilliness and what not, but its going to be fine. We'll make it through here somehow, partner."

From this exchange of words, Icarus could clearly see that Seth had thawed from his current pessimistic outlook some. It finally appears as though this adventure can get started!

Mediville
This well-populated village and its surrounding farmlands contain many low-levelled wild Pokémon suitable for beginning trainers to practice against. Levels are only gained by Pokémon under level 10.[/size]

Rural areas weren’t really Alice Hope’s preference, it had to be said, but following a week stuck in hospital, with only a dreary car park for a view, it was nice to be in the wild outdoors. Summer was approaching, the temperature rising and rising, and having already taken a trip to Cascadia’s beach location, it seemed only appropriate to go and sunbathe elsewhere.

The petite trainer stretched out, making the sound effect of a Meowth as she did so, her long fingers intertwining with those of her Abra’s. The psychic type lay beside her in silence, eyes closed as always, and quiet. She spoke, but never gained a verbal response. It was always a mystery as to whether the newest addition to her team ever paid attention to what she had to say. Sometimes, though, she felt a gentle wave or sudden rush of emotion, or an echo. Maybe that was how Abra communicated his thoughts and feelings. It wasn’t as if his human could understand any noises he were to make, anyway.

“This disease thing. At the worst moments ever, I could really do with some cake.” The eighteen year old piped up. It was warm weather, ice cream and smoothie weather in fact. Idly, her manicured nails brushed over her pasty white midriff, visible between the cropped, gingham-check bustier cropped top and the white miniskirt chosen for wear that morning. Her blonde hair was tied back into a pair of curled pigtails, resting over both small shoulders. A pale pink bag and pair of white wooden sandals rested within arm’s reach. “Or just... Sugary things. I bet the farm shops have the best food ever as well. And I don’t even have an excuse. It’s not as if I’m running from giant beasts or chasing bratty kids anymore, is it? And I had a big breakfast... Damn.”

It was like rambling to herself. It reminded the young woman of the days in the Pokemon Academy, when the people she tried to speak to mockingly asked who she was addressing. Bullies. If they could see her now, with her cool Pokemon and the money to laze around in Talas hotels and Mediville bed and breakfasts. She was saving for a Birth Island, base, too. The trainer with a princess syndrome was determined to live a life of luxury, especially if type one diabetes was going to knock a good twenty years off her life span (or all the Pokemon at Phantom Isle, that still probably wanted her body and soul to go to the Merry Reapers – what the hell was that taco truck even doing there?!)

“No response, right? Right. I hope you at least don't hate me like Bagon does...” Alice concluded lightly, pushing up her sunglasses, blue eyes admiring the fancy gold medical bracelet and its floral charms around her left wrist. As charismatic and confident as the adventurer came off, it hid the insecurities beneath, the fear of so many things. Whether she knew it or not, Abra and the other Pokemon were more than aware of the short female's incredible, invisible armour, even if others usually didn't detect it. “It still feels like I have a collar on. Maybe you’re the ones taking me for walks everywhere.” She joked, sighing, before letting herself drift back to sleep in the grass of the quiet, empty field. Days like this were perfect. She would have to have a picnic with her team at some point soon – the area was just too peaceful and pretty not to.

EpicSquirtle:((Don’t make the mistake of repeating the majority of the sentences written by your updater and changing them up a little bit in your post to make it longer. Never do this, I can spot it; it makes you reach the word count, but I felt like I was re-reading my own update. Try to be original in your replies, otherwise what’s the point? You’ve almost quoted me word for word in some of your sentences.))

You realize that full-on offense would be foolish with a single Pokemon against two evolved foes bearing a Type advantage; fortunately you worked it out before the Cacturne beat Telpo into a pulp. As you try to regroup and think of a new approach, the Numel bravely offers to fight at your side and drive the enemy away.

After scanning the Camel Pokemon with your Pokedex, determining it to be of Level 5, you decide to have Numel and Telpo work as a team to offset the difference in power. Taking a more level-headed approach, you issue your instructions and the two Pokemon are happy to comply.

Numel starts off by Growling at one of the attackers, which clearly catches him by surprise; the Cacturne are taken aback by the sudden show of guts, and as much as they try to laugh it off, it’s clear they’ve begun to question the true power of the Fire-Type, becoming less inclined to attack. Just as their guard drops, Telpo closes in with a powerful Ice Punch to one of the them, catching it right in the gut and making it bend over in pain; the other Cacturne is startled by the move and looks over to his fallen companion, and the Numel sees its opportunity, firing off an Ember that hits it dead on as well!

Numel and Telpo cheer as both of their opponents fall to their knees; the Abra remembers its last instruction, pulling up a Barrier that envelopes both of them, and just in time too, as the Cacturne that was hit with Ice Punch looks for a measure of revenge, smashing against the shield with a Needle Arm. The attack is completely neutralized, but… the Barrier shatters! Just how powerful are these two?!

While the attacker is left clenching its fist in pain, the other Cactus Pokemon is already back on its feet as well, and shoots an immense number of needles from its body with a Pin Missile attack! The countless projectiles fly through the air and are about to rain down on your team…

What do you do?!

OOC:Ok, sorry about that.

And the battle continued!
Numel was the first to start by Growling at of the Cacturne, suprising them. As their guard dropped,Telpo hit one right in the gut with an Ice Punch. Numel then launched an Ember on the other for another direct hit. Jake smiled. It looked like Telpo and the Numel were managing quite well against the Cacturne.

''Way to go you to, keep it up!'' Jake cheered.
Telpo also grinned. This was the first actual pokemon battle he had participated in. It was way different then a practice battle, this was exhilarating.

However it was then that Telpo remembered his last order, and put up a barrier that shielded him and Numel. And just in time! Because no later after the barrier shielded the two, one of the Cacturne hit the shield with a Needle Arm. Though the Needle Arm was completely blocked it managed to shatter the barrier in the process. Jake cringed.

''The power of those Cacturne..... if I want to win this I need to take one of them out and fast. This is working right now, but how long will it last?'' Jake thought, trying to formulate a better plan.

Apologies for the delay, we have a lot of ground to make up so we'll try and keep these coming as quickly as we can. Dark Searchman, DaveTheFishGuy, lightpanda, jorge565, Fallen Icarus, and Meetan, you'll all be picked up by another updator which should be fairly soon.

Forest of Adventure - Please reply in limegreen

Mon1010: Performing your humane duty by helping to free the Taillow, you feel the ground beneath your feet begin to shift. At first putting it down to the amount of loose leaves on the forest floor you don't dwell on it, but after a few moments spent prying Taillow loose you suddenly feel the ground start to give way and realise this web is strategically placed over an even larger trap that you've literally walked right into. You glance at Ariados just as the ground finally gives way and you start to fall, the expression of triumph in its eyes unmistakeable. A little angry that you've been played but mostly scared about where you are headed, you can hear Munna calling out from the above as you reach out to try and grab hold of something that will help to break your fall when you suddenly feel yourself hit dirt and then begin to slide down a very steep dirt ramp before rolling ungracefully into a dark underground tunnel with Taillow rolling right down after you. It careens into your back, very weak and now with an injured wing as well, for even though you'd managed to free it from the web it was too weak to fly when you fell so ended up falling down right behind you. Shaana's scared cries can be heard way down here, but you're unable to see her. You estimate you'd fallen at least twenty metres before hitting the ramp which then slid you another fifteen metres into the tunnel so one thing is certain and that is you cannot get out the way you'd just come. More worrying is that you are separated from your Pokémon and have no clue as to how to get out of here. Add to that someone has deliberately set this trap and you have to wonder as to why. Wondering what to do about Shaana you listen to her frightened cries, when suddenly she falls silent too...

kaisap112: Here to spend some quality time with your Purrloin you can only hope Cherith will come round to some degree and at least pretend to enjoy your company if nothing more. As the two of you walk you can't help but feel something is very out of place. Cherith can sense it too, you can tell by his stance, the way his normally fluid movements are much slower and more deliberate, his body lowered somewhat as he prepares himself to move quickly should the need arise. The sharp flicking of his tail is another indication, as well as his ears perked up as he listens to the sounds of the forest.... or more accurately as he listens to the silence of the forest. You both stop walking, senses heightened as a niggling sense of fear starts creeping in. This can't be right. There is no movement in the trees, there are no calls of flying types ringing out across the sky, no rustling of the bushes as forest creatures rummage and play. You walk a little further but still find nothing, then just as you are beginning to think it may be a good idea to find another location in which to share some bonding time with your Pokémon you hear a sudden surprised, "Merrrrw!" beside you and look to find Cherith being dragged into the foliage before all falls silent again. Leaping into the bushes into which he'd just disappeared you find nothing other than a sticky, stringy substance on the other side along with some drag marks showing where Cherith had been hauled along the forest floor before that too vanishes. With your heart beating wildly, your Pokémon nowhere to be found, and the only clue as to where he could be also having vanished, you feel the compelling need to scream at the top of your lungs but are not sure it's a good idea as you have no idea what is out there...

Scaldaver: A word of warning, if you enter a zone making it known what you want to find then you'll be assured to find everything but that Pokémon.

It's a beautiful sunny day with a beautiful breeze drifting through the beautiful surrounds of this amazing forest. Mary walks alongside you, excited to be out in the big wide world at the very beginning of her first adventure. Sunlight is filtering through the canopy of leaves above and the sounds of wild Pokémon are all around though you can see but only a few of them. You've barely been here ten minutes, however, when a playful Aipom drops from an overhanging branch to smile at you both, apparently not at all concerned by the possibility of you being unfriendly./ Mary is not quite sure what to make of the Aipom, part of her wanting to test out her fighting skills by taking it on in battle but the other part of her loathe to pick a fight with a Pokémon who is only trying to be friendly. You continue to walk for a while, Aipom following, occasionally leaping on to your shoulder for a better view before jumping onto a tree branch and then down in front of you again. You're not sure whether to be happy about your new companion or annoyed by it, but when it rips the Leek out of the grasp of a Farfetch'd who had been minding its own business and then proceeds to tuck said leek into your pack so the Farfetch'd goes feral and runs at you flapping its wings wildly whilst quacking up a storm, you can't help but start to feel like this little monkey is going to be trouble. With Farfetch'd ready to scratch your eyes out Aipom leaps onto your head screeching excitedly at the prospect of battle. Now quite comfortably attached to your head Aipom screeches at Mary, ordering her to attack. It appears this little troublemaker has certainly turned your world upside down, if only temporarily, as this is the last situation in which you'd imagined your first battle with a wild Pokémon...

Mediville - Please reply in lemonchiffon

allishinca: Well the woman was right about one thing - the smell is far from fantastic but for all intents and purposes it could be far worse. At least there are no signs of anything mucky about which is at least one good thing, but you are concerned about the fact the thief has not only a decent head start on you but is also familiar with these tunnels. While Codi takes his time joining you, you look about for some sign that may indicate the direction the thief has taken, but all is quiet bar the faint hum of machinery in the distance possibly coming from the sewage plant itself. At regular intervals in both directions you can see sunlight filtering through manhole covers and grates from the streets above which is providing you with enough light for your journey. Eventually Codi joins you, his nose wrinkled in distaste, but he gets on with the job anyway and in only moments turns to the left and starts walking. Trusting his instincts you don't question him but after a good fifteen minutes walk when you're sure you're well outside Mediville's town limits and are somewhere beneath farmland Codi stops dead in his tracks, cocking his head to the side. About to ask what's wrong your mouth snaps shut when you hear something and also cock your head to the side to listen. A strange rumbling can be heard, much like the sound your churning stomach makes when you're hungry, but along with it you can hear a guttural noise followed by the sound of something like a pin dropping, these noises repeating themselves over and over again. "Gul" ping! "Gul" ping! "Gul" ping! "Gul" ping! Looking into Codi's eyes you can see he has no wish to encounter trouble, but neither of you know what this noise means so you continue on quietly until finally coming upon the source of the noise in the form of a little Gulpin bouncing what appears to be a pearl upon a metal grate. It looks very bored and very hungry, but the moment it spies you watching it grins widely and launches itself toward you and your bag crying, "Gul-PIN!" fully intent on devouring its contents with or without your permission.

Desert of Illusion - Please reply in darkorange

gmoyes: Phi explains the situation to Nidoran♀, offering her the opportunity to accompany you in your efforts to help save her brother, after which Echo uses his Psychic to lift her out of the pit. Free at last her every intuition is telling her to flee, and you can see all she wants to do is run across the desert in pursuit of those who had just kidnapped her kin, but considering you've offered to help her she waits impatiently, pawing at the ground, ready to get a move on. Phi follows your instructions and Teleports to the most recent trace he can feel but returns with a glum expression. Whatever he's found isn't boding well but he doesn't yet have the kind of psychic energy needed to transport such a big group very far. Instead he hovers a metre above the ground and starts to move in the direction the truck had disappeared so you head off, not wanting to waste any time. A couple of hours later you find yourself standing on the outskirts of a desert town, its fortress type walls very intimidating to say the least. Phi gives you an apologetic look as this is the best he can do. Nidoran♂ is here somewhere, but it'll be up to you to locate him. Passing through the entrance you're now looking onto a sandy, shop lined street where a truck looking just like the one belonging to the men who had stolen Nidoran♂ is stood parked outside a tavern just up the road. Despite the tiring journey to get here Nidoran♀ squeals excitedly and starts racing up the street. So much for going in discreetly...

OkikuMew: Without skipping a beat you feign a look of confusion and respond with, "Where did what go?" the resulting glare of mistrust causing you to feel extremely uneasy. Continuing on about your frustration at not being able to find any Pokémon you feel you're successful in your attempt to throw the man off track until the moment "abandoned village" exits your mouth. The man's soulless eyes narrow, his jaw clenches, and he leaps from the truck to stand directly over you, his face so close to yours you can feel his breath on your face. Every instinct within you is screaming to get the hell away from him now but you sense you need to remain in control and with great restraint stand your ground. "So you've not seen any Pokémon in these parts?" he growls. "None at all?" Shaking your head you return his unreadable stare for several more uncomfortably long seconds until he takes a step back. It's only at this point that you realise you'd stopped breathing so you discreetly release your breath in one long, relieved sigh. "I guess we'll have to find it then," he finishes, dismissing you as he turns on his heel and walks back the way you had come, directly over to the ropes that had been used to bound Phanpy not too long ago. The other man leaps from the truck and joins him asking, "Ya think she's tellin' the truth?" but you don't hear an answer as you've already turned and are continuing on your way although you can feel their eyes boring into your back as you walk, careful to ensure you're walking in a direction that will bypass the plateau just in case they decide they have some more questions to ask. Shortly afterwards you hear their truck engine roar to life before finally fading into the distance at which time you feel it's safe to turn and look. They are gone so it should be safe to try and find Phanpy now. Adjusting your direction to veer toward the plateau you arrive within minutes, fearful you've lost too much time and will be unable to find the Long Nose Pokémon, but soon after find it cowering behind a large boulder, shaking nervously. It's eyes are big and sad, its cuts and bruises heartbreaking to look at, and you cannot imagine what two men like that would want with a helpless little Pokémon like this let alone why they'd deliberately tortured it the way they had. Phanpy takes a pained step toward you, gently rubbing its cheek on your leg as an apparent apology for having run off the way it had after you'd been so kind as to free it. After seeing those men for yourself, though, you can't say you blame the poor thing. Phanpy then turns its head to the northeast and cries, "Phanpy!" before taking a few steps then looking back to see if you'll follow. It seems this little one wants to show you something...

Ancient Tomb - Please reply in gold

Ex-Admiral Insane: Very quickly realising you are in a world of trouble you try to remain calm for Rags' sake as you can feel yourself beginning to lose your cool which won't benefit anyone, particularly in a situation such as this. With toxic spores filling the room it's imperative you act as quickly as possible and so instruct Rags on how to attack while making your way over to the door on your right embedded with a dark smoky quartz stone hoping you'll find a clue as to what's behind it so you're able to escape this chamber before the poison you are slowly breathing in starts to take effect. Try as you might, however, this door isn't budging so you glance back at Rags who has just managed to create three duplicate clones of himself while Gloom glances between them trying to figure out which is the real enemy. Impressed that he's handling himself you give up trying to open this door and move to the next that is embedded with a milky white quartz stone, all the while keeping an eye on the battle in case Rags needs you. Watching Gloom spew forth an Acidic stream of fluid that thankfully passes straight through one of Rags' clones, shattering it, you hurry now, examining this new door only to find it is also sealed tight. Your heart sinks at this realisation as you're beginning to suspect there is no way out of here. Moving over to the door embedded with the beautiful golden quartz while Rags and his twin companions let loose a blinding Confuse Ray that has Gloom stumbling about, confused, you find this door is also sealed tight. A tight knot forms in your stomach as you realise you are trapped in a tomb, slowly breathing in toxic spores, and there is a very real chance you may well end up a permanent fixture here. Suddenly the place isn't feeling as appealing as it was several minutes ago so you make your way back over to the inscription you'd read earlier, paying particular attention to the words, "the challenge you'll face with toxic spores quickly filling your space is to triumph against impossible odds".. "Triumph against impossible odds..." and it hits you. There are four doors leading into this chamber but you won't be able to pass through any of them until you win this battle which means you have no choice but to win as both yours and Rags' lives depend on it.

Silverton Ranges - Please reply in lightsteelblue

Escalion: Not wanting to get involved you begin to berate your Pokémon, calling Roggenrola to return at once, but although every instinct is telling you to leave it well enough alone and leave this place there is another deep seeded part of you that cannot allow one Pokémon to fight two others despite the fact the lone Pokémon has a distinct type advantage. In true mediator fashion Roggenrola continues to try and diffuse the situation only to find herself being Tackled by Geodude#1, an attack that sends her careening into Snorunt as she wasn't prepared for it, causing them both to crash headlong into the cavern wall with a sickening crunch. Both Pokémon cry out, partly due to pain, but mostly surprise, but are on their feet in moments, Snorunt chilling both Geodude with a Powdery Snow. Not at all liking the idea of feeling an attack like that again, Roggenrola Hardens up in an effort to protect herself somewhat when suddenly finding herself dodging a number of Rocks Blasted at herself and Snorunt by Geodude#2! Barely recovering her balance she watches as Geodude#1 launches itself at Snorunt with another Tackle, but the little Snow Hat Pokémon is ready this time and meets the Geodude head on with a powerful Headbutt that has the rock type falling back, dazed, wondering what on earth just happened. Roggenrola then starts pumping energy into the Earth, the Powerful waves causing the ground to shift, rumble, and break beneath the Geodude, with some of it exploding upwards to damage them both, but it only takes moments for her to realise this was not a smart move to make inside an old, fragile mineshaft out in the middle of the wilderness. Despite the fact Roggenrola has stopped her attack, the ground continues to rumble, the walls and ceiling also shaking while loose gravel and dirt starts to spill down from above. Your heart leaps into your throat as the terrifying image of being swallowed by the earth takes centre stage in your mind, but a moment later the rumbling subsides and all falls still. Barely able to thank your lucky stars for surviving you hear an angry voice echoing through the tunnel. "Git back here NOW Geodude and stop your foolish shenanigans before you have this whole place cavin' in on us! Hurry up! We got work to do!" Immediately the two Geodude skedaddle, one of them flipping yourself, Roggenrola, and Snorunt the finger as they rush off to meet the man calling them while Snorunt desperately tries to gather together the remants of a Pecha Berry it had been carrying that was crushed in the battle before it cries out, distraught, and rushes into the cave the Geodude had been attempting to keep it out of. Suddenly left standing there with the Geodude headed back the way you'd come and Snorunt headed into the cavern, you're again wondering how exactly it is you became involved in this in the first place. Unsure you really want to be running into the man belonging to the angry voice you wonder what to do next when Roggenrola makes the decision for you, dashing off after Snorunt only to find it huddled by two tiny Snorunt, one of them appearing to be very, very sick. Poisoned, in fact. The ruined Pecha Berry is proving useless as it is just too damaged for its healing properties to be of any help at all, and the little Snorunt doesn't appear to have much fight left in it. Looks like Roggenrola's managed to get you into a bit of a pickle...

Apologies for the delay, we have a lot of ground to make up so we'll try and keep these coming as quickly as we can. Dark Searchman, DaveTheFishGuy, lightpanda, jorge565, Fallen Icarus, and Meetan, you'll all be picked up by another updator which should be fairly soon.

Desert of Illusion - Please reply in darkorange

OkikuMew: Without skipping a beat you feign a look of confusion and respond with, "Where did what go?" the resulting glare of mistrust causing you to feel extremely uneasy. Continuing on about your frustration at not being able to find any Pokémon you feel you're successful in your attempt to throw the man off track until the moment "abandoned village" exits your mouth. The man's soulless eyes narrow, his jaw clenches, and he leaps from the truck to stand directly over you, his face so close to yours you can feel his breath on your face. Every instinct within you is screaming to get the hell away from him now but you sense you need to remain in control and with great restraint stand your ground. "So you've not seen any Pokémon in these parts?" he growls. "None at all?" Shaking your head you return his unreadable stare for several more uncomfortably long seconds until he takes a step back. It's only at this point that you realise you'd stopped breathing so you discreetly release your breath in one long, relieved sigh. "I guess we'll have to find it then," he finishes, dismissing you as he turns on his heel and walks back the way you had come, directly over to the ropes that had been used to bound Phanpy not too long ago. The other man leaps from the truck and joins him asking, "Ya think she's tellin' the truth?" but you don't hear an answer as you've already turned and are continuing on your way although you can feel their eyes boring into your back as you walk, careful to ensure you're walking in a direction that will bypass the plateau just in case they decide they have some more questions to ask. Shortly afterwards you hear their truck engine roar to life before finally fading into the distance at which time you feel it's safe to turn and look. They are gone so it should be safe to try and find Phanpy now. Adjusting your direction to veer toward the plateau you arrive within minutes, fearful you've lost too much time and will be unable to find the Long Nose Pokémon, but soon after find it cowering behind a large boulder, shaking nervously. It's eyes are big and sad, its cuts and bruises heartbreaking to look at, and you cannot imagine what two men like that would want with a helpless little Pokémon like this let alone why they'd deliberately tortured it the way they had. Phanpy takes a pained step toward you, gently rubbing its cheek on your leg as an apparent apology for having run off the way it had after you'd been so kind as to free it. After seeing those men for yourself, though, you can't say you blame the poor thing. Phanpy then turns its head to the northeast and cries, "Phanpy!" before taking a few steps then looking back to see if you'll follow. It seems this little one wants to show you something...

At first, it was obvious the man was not trusting Okiku. After all, she thought, they have just met each other and he didn't seem to be the type of trusting a person right off the bat. The young woman then continued with her small rant about not finding any Pokémon or any of the abandoned villages, which instead of calming the man down by justifying her own presence in the desert, instead he became quite agitated, jumping off of his jeep just to stare her down. Of course Okiku was intimidated, both from being afraid of getting caught in her lie and the comparison of her strengthless and tired body with his army-ready and tall stature (to not mention his mannerisms reminding those of her strict father). Not approving that her trainer was being bullied and understanding a bit of the unease she was in, Himiko wanted to curl her back upwards and hiss, but having a feeling of what was Okiku planning, she simply sat down and kept a careful watch, ready to intervene if things got violent. Despite of all this, the trainer managed to keep her cool as much as she can to not drop her earlier facade. The man asked again if she really didn't see any Pokémon, which she responded by simply shaking her head. After a few seconds that felt like hours of still glaring at her, the man finally backed away from her, returning to his jeep.

"I guess we'll have to find it then," he sighed as walked towards the shackles the Phanpy was imprisoned with earlier.

"Sorry I couldn't be of better help," Okiku also sighed, but more out of relief than out of feeling sorry, "Good luck on your search then!"

As she and her Espeon walked away from them, making sure of not going towards the plateau in case the two guys in came to ask more questions or went ahead to where she's going to nab the Phanpy first, the girl heard the other man getting off their vehicle and asked if she was really telling the truth. Unfortunately, Okiku was too far from them at this point to hear the rest of it.

After walking for a long while, she finally heard what she wanted to hear: the roar of the jeep fading away. Feeling it was now safe, she turned around and saw only the emptiness of the desert, and for once she was happy about that. She quickly changed her course to the famous plateau where the Phanpy ran towards to, hoping it was still around.

After arriving at the plateau and searching there for a few minutes, it was to her surprise and joy she found the elephant Pokémon, whimpering behind a large boulder. Okiku frowned as she looked at the poor little guy, looking at its injuries and thinking back on those men who tortured it for no apparent reason. She couldn't help feeling bad for it, and even relate to it with her own experience. She slowly approached it, making sure to not startle it and not scaring it away again.

"...Hey," she whispered, "they're gone now. I-It's ok!"

The Long Nose Pokémon took a tiny but painful step towards her, then rubbed its cheek against her leg, probably as an apologies for running away from her earlier.

"Aww," the trainer cooed, "It's alright, I understand."

The Phanpy then turned himself around (towards the northeast, Okiku quickly noted by glancing at her compass,) cried out, took a few steps in that direction then looked back at her, eager about something.

"You... want to show me something?"

Okiku then looked over Himiko to see if she understood it right and if it would be a good idea to check out whatever the Phanpy wanted to show. The Espeon joyfully nodded and wagged her forked tail. The trainer smiled back at her then both took a couple of steps themselves, towards the blue and red Pokémon.

Ex-Admiral Insane: Very quickly realising you are in a world of trouble you try to remain calm for Rags' sake as you can feel yourself beginning to lose your cool which won't benefit anyone, particularly in a situation such as this. With toxic spores filling the room it's imperative you act as quickly as possible and so instruct Rags on how to attack while making your way over to the door on your right embedded with a dark smoky quartz stone hoping you'll find a clue as to what's behind it so you're able to escape this chamber before the poison you are slowly breathing in starts to take effect. Try as you might, however, this door isn't budging so you glance back at Rags who has just managed to create three duplicate clones of himself while Gloom glances between them trying to figure out which is the real enemy. Impressed that he's handling himself you give up trying to open this door and move to the next that is embedded with a milky white quartz stone, all the while keeping an eye on the battle in case Rags needs you. Watching Gloom spew forth an Acidic stream of fluid that thankfully passes straight through one of Rags' clones, shattering it, you hurry now, examining this new door only to find it is also sealed tight. Your heart sinks at this realisation as you're beginning to suspect there is no way out of here. Moving over to the door embedded with the beautiful golden quartz while Rags and his twin companions let loose a blinding Confuse Ray that has Gloom stumbling about, confused, you find this door is also sealed tight. A tight knot forms in your stomach as you realise you are trapped in a tomb, slowly breathing in toxic spores, and there is a very real chance you may well end up a permanent fixture here. Suddenly the place isn't feeling as appealing as it was several minutes ago so you make your way back over to the inscription you'd read earlier, paying particular attention to the words, "the challenge you'll face with toxic spores quickly filling your space is to triumph against impossible odds".. "Triumph against impossible odds..." and it hits you. There are four doors leading into this chamber but you won't be able to pass through any of them until you win this battle which means you have no choice but to win as both yours and Rags' lives depend on it.

Dammit, Lucas thought to himself. All the doors are closed. The plan of airing the room clearly wasn’t going to work and they couldn’t figure out another way of escaping. "The challenge you'll face with toxic spores quickly filling your space is to triumph against impossible odds" Lucas started repeating these words over and over to himself. There was something he was missing. The words were practically taunting him.Triumph against impossible odds… The words slipped off his lips, they were on the tip of his tongue, he just needed to..

“Of course!” Lucas yelled out. He choked a little on his last words and coughed. It was unclear if the toxic spores where the reason or not. “How could I not see that before. The doors won’t open until we’ve defeated the Gloom, which means the Gloom is nothing more than a stall. It works though, a poison-type Pokémon would naturally have little trouble with inhaling toxic spores.” He had to wonder if that meant Rags might already be poisoned by them. For that matter, was he as well?

Now realizing that the Gloom was in need of being defeated for the sake of their lives, Lucas had to quickly come up with a way of defeating it. Preferably as quick as possible. His eyes started darting around the room to look for something, anything, that might help them.
Two copies of Rags were still left standing and the Gloom had just been hit by the Confuse Ray. Good, he thought. That might give me some time to think.Perhaps their abilities can help. “Let’s see,” he said while pulling out his Pokédex. Gloom has Chlorophyll and Rags has Trace. He looked up to the closed off ceiling. Not a ray of sunlight was entering the place. That’s clearly not going to help. We need to land a critical hit or something, but none of Rags attack can raise those chances. Only Lucky Chant which stops the opponent from landing a critical strike.Perhaps type advantage then? Grass has a lot of weaknesses; Fire, Ice, Flying. Bug and Poison won’t work since it is part poison itself. Thought that luckily does give it a weakness to Rags’ type of Psychic. He bit his lips. His only Psychic attack though is Confusion. Synchronoise won’t work unless it were part Psychic.
He took another look at the Gloom. He had been wasting his time. His thinking of quickly finishing the battle was only drawing it out and the status condition wasn’t going to hold forever either. The copies will disappear soon after that as well.

That’s it! he cheered to himself.
“Rags!” he shouted out. “Use Teleport and Fire Punch!”
“Ra-Ra?” Rags slightly stammered at his trainer’s order. Confusion would clearly be more effective considering his low physical strength. So why would he…
He shifted his gaze from his trainer to the Gloom who he had just hit with a Confuse Ray.

Oh, I see.

Lucas didn’t need to order where to teleport to as Rags figured it out already. They were going to go along with their initial plan; to combine the Double Team with the Confuse Ray in an effort to throw the Gloom off balance. In its current confused state a Pokémon might not notice a copy missing or at least not think too much about it. Rags was going to teleport right behind it to go in for a critical hit; more damage and a higher chance of burning.

“Aim for its crown!” Lucas shouted to his partner. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected that might be a weak spot. If all fails, they’d have to resort to using Confusion.

kaisap112: Here to spend some quality time with your Purrloin you can only hope Cherith will come round to some degree and at least pretend to enjoy your company if nothing more. As the two of you walk you can't help but feel something is very out of place. Cherith can sense it too, you can tell by his stance, the way his normally fluid movements are much slower and more deliberate, his body lowered somewhat as he prepares himself to move quickly should the need arise. The sharp flicking of his tail is another indication, as well as his ears perked up as he listens to the sounds of the forest.... or more accurately as he listens to the silence of the forest. You both stop walking, senses heightened as a niggling sense of fear starts creeping in. This can't be right. There is no movement in the trees, there are no calls of flying types ringing out across the sky, no rustling of the bushes as forest creatures rummage and play. You walk a little further but still find nothing, then just as you are beginning to think it may be a good idea to find another location in which to share some bonding time with your Pokémon you hear a sudden surprised, "Merrrrw!" beside you and look to find Cherith being dragged into the foliage before all falls silent again. Leaping into the bushes into which he'd just disappeared you find nothing other than a sticky, stringy substance on the other side along with some drag marks showing where Cherith had been hauled along the forest floor before that too vanishes. With your heart beating wildly, your Pokémon nowhere to be found, and the only clue as to where he could be also having vanished, you feel the compelling need to scream at the top of your lungs but are not sure it's a good idea as you have no idea what is out there...

For someone usually happy to be out in the woods, Noriko was feeling very, very awkward. Cherith’s utter lack of response to anything she did or said was putting her in a bad position. The feline kept right on walking forward, stopping to swat at a bush every now and then. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially less interesting than leaves,” Noriko muttered to herself, earning a glance from the Purrloin that was screaming “really, now you noticed?” before Cherith returned to swatting at a particularly large leaf sticking out of a lusciously green bush. After scratching the innocent piece of nature to pieces, Cherith turned and walked for a couple of steps…when his ears perked up. Noriko stopped, unsure of what had caught her friend’s attention like that. Perhaps there was a bird on the loose?

The soft black ears twitched and moved toward multiple directions while Cherith’s tail started to make sharp movements. As the black cat lowered himself only an inch or two above ground – clearly into a hunting position – Noriko realized something rather weird. Where had all the noise disappeared to? And not just the wildlife, there was no wind blowing or leaves rustling against one another or…any kind of sound. It was like the duo was walking inside a silent film. Cherith stopped moving, crouching down in place. Noriko followed suit, standing still as a very bad feeling entered her mind along with fear. This situation was getting far too creepy for a nice day out with a friend. Looking around her, Noriko noticed that on top of sound disappearing from the scene, all movement had done so as well: leaves weren’t moving at all and it felt like even the wind had gone missing. “Cherith, this doesn’t look too good. Let’s go somewhere else, okay?” The feline offered no response to his trainer, only staring into nothing while Noriko walked ahead slowly. She didn’t get far though…

"Merrrrw!"

Noriko spun around to barely see Cherith being dragged by something – the struggling Purrloin suddenly disappeared under all the plants, leaving only a pressing silence behind. Noriko leaped into action, running after her Pokémon as fast as she could. The bushes looked like nothing at all had happened, like this was all just a part of scenery for a postcard. Noriko pushed the leaves aside, trying to find something, anything – and just as the thought crossed her mind she pulled her hand back, thankfully not having managed to stick her hand into the sticky substance covering some leaves. Upon closer inspection, the substance seemed thread and stringy, reminiscent of a Bug-type’s attack. Looking downward, Noriko saw drag marks on the ground; almost like they were out of a horror movie, the marks looked like Cherith had scratched at the ground with all his might in order to not be dragged away. Right when the young woman was about to follow the marks to where her friend had been taken the marks seemed to dissolve, disappearing along with all the clues Noriko had as to which way she should go.

Screaming in frustration crossed Noriko’s mind. Cursing at the petrified forest seemed like the best idea she’d ever had. Starting up a fire wasn’t beyond her capabilities either. Noriko took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself and rationally think of what to do. Wandering around the forest and getting lost wasn’t going to help Cherith, that was for sure, but what else could be done-

As if a light bulb has lit up above her head, Noriko started digging through her bag. Perhaps there was a way to lure back whatever had taken Cherith? With slight relief Noriko pulled out a White Flute – for once it was a good thing her bag was always full of the most random objects! Not really caring that she hadn’t practiced playing the flute in years, Noriko lifted the instrument to her lips and started playing whatever came to her mind, praying that her weird plan would work and a Pokémon would come out – hopefully leading her to Cherith.

gmoyes: Phi explains the situation to Nidoran♀, offering her the opportunity to accompany you in your efforts to help save her brother, after which Echo uses his Psychic to lift her out of the pit. Free at last her every intuition is telling her to flee, and you can see all she wants to do is run across the desert in pursuit of those who had just kidnapped her kin, but considering you've offered to help her she waits impatiently, pawing at the ground, ready to get a move on. Phi follows your instructions and Teleports to the most recent trace he can feel but returns with a glum expression. Whatever he's found isn't boding well but he doesn't yet have the kind of psychic energy needed to transport such a big group very far. Instead he hovers a metre above the ground and starts to move in the direction the truck had disappeared so you head off, not wanting to waste any time. A couple of hours later you find yourself standing on the outskirts of a desert town, its fortress type walls very intimidating to say the least. Phi gives you an apologetic look as this is the best he can do. Nidoran♂ is here somewhere, but it'll be up to you to locate him. Passing through the entrance you're now looking onto a sandy, shop lined street where a truck looking just like the one belonging to the men who had stolen Nidoran♂ is stood parked outside a tavern just up the road. Despite the tiring journey to get here Nidoran♀ squeals excitedly and starts racing up the street. So much for going in discreetly...

Alex gave a little nod towards the little Nidoran. Didn’t the saying ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ fit this situation? Either way, they would be on their way to face the poachers together. However, to his surprise, Phi Teleported off without them. Fortunately the psychic type soon returned, wearing a sad expression on its face. Wherever the poachers were going, it couldn’t be good. And seeing as Phi didn’t just teleport them there, it seemed that they had a whole lot of walking ahead of them. The Abra was already following the tracks of the truck with a sigh he motioned to the little poison rabbit to follow them. As they set off, Alex posed a question to Phi. “Why couldn’t you teleport us there?”

…size…

Alex gave a little frown. If teleport worked the way he thought it did, mass would be more important than size. A lot of things relied more on mass than size. Alex, all of his gear, the Nidoran and Phi himself totaled somewhere around 200 pounds. Yet another reason he should be getting into better shape. Anyways, he remembered back on Cortoza he had seen Phi teleport three times in a row with Echo. The Bronzor weighed somewhere around 130 pounds. Of course, the distance was probably much shorter then. Though it would probably be interesting to do an experiment to see how far an Abra could teleport carrying different masses. Phi didn’t even attempt to teleport them anywhere near closer, so there must have been some sort of mass limit. Now that he thought about it, teleporting a Bronzor would probably be easier than teleporting a living Pokémon of the same mass, it would be easier to breakdown and reassemble something that was solid metal than a living thing that relied on many different systems. Probably even harder for humans because humans bodies don’t have the same capability to turn from matter to energy that Pokémon do. He spent the next few hours trekking through the desert mulling over teleportation, following his little Abra and with the female Nidoran by his side.

Soon enough, they arrived at the clay walls of a desert town. It certainly didn’t seem inviting, but if they were to complete their mission, then they needed to continue on. The walked into the town and wandered down the shop lined street. Not surprisingly, being in the middle of the desert, there was dust everywhere. Just then at the end of the street, he saw the truck parked outside one of the buildings. Apparently, so did the Nidoran. The small poison type sped off towards it. Alex just groaned and put his hand to his forehead. There goes the element of surprise. He needed to get in there to protect her. But first, to disable the poachers’ ride. “Phi, I want you to sabotage their truck. Use your Psychic to poke around and prevent it from going anywhere. Join us as soon as you can.”

He turned towards the tavern door and sighed. Why did he do this to himself? It probably wasn’t best idea to go in guns a blazin’ but he should have some muscle with him. While there wasn’t much trust between them, this was Bravo’s time to shine. He pulled the Metang’s pokeball out of his pocket and released it. The steel type appeared and immediately moved into an aggressive pose with its arms ready to strike. After an awkward pause, it turned to its trainer.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

“There isn’t anyone to fight at the moment, but things could turn heated at any moment. Come on Bravo, I need you.” The Metang gave its odd psychic/metallic grunt and crossed its arms. It was a standard response, and it was the best he would get. He just nodded at his Pokémon. “Ok then. Let’s go.”

He turned toward the door and thought. How should he handle this? With any luck, they might be in there getting drunk. That would probably make them even more stupid than they already were. Also he doubted that their Pokémon would be that strong, if they were, they wouldn’t resort to cheap tricks. If Bravo couldn’t handle them, he could easily send his whole team out against them. But how to start? He was obviously no tough guy, he was shaking slightly already. He figured that he might as well lay it out in terms that they would understand. He would say that they have something that belongs to him, the Nidoran. He saw it first and was battling it by the time they showed up. Maybe even throw in the terms ‘idiots’ and ‘cowards’. That is, if he got the nerve up to even talk with them. He shook his head and took a shaky breath and went through the door.

Escalion: Not wanting to get involved you begin to berate your Pokémon, calling Roggenrola to return at once, but although every instinct is telling you to leave it well enough alone and leave this place there is another deep seeded part of you that cannot allow one Pokémon to fight two others despite the fact the lone Pokémon has a distinct type advantage. In true mediator fashion Roggenrola continues to try and diffuse the situation only to find herself being Tackled by Geodude#1, an attack that sends her careening into Snorunt as she wasn't prepared for it, causing them both to crash headlong into the cavern wall with a sickening crunch. Both Pokémon cry out, partly due to pain, but mostly surprise, but are on their feet in moments, Snorunt chilling both Geodude with a Powdery Snow. Not at all liking the idea of feeling an attack like that again, Roggenrola Hardens up in an effort to protect herself somewhat when suddenly finding herself dodging a number of Rocks Blasted at herself and Snorunt by Geodude#2! Barely recovering her balance she watches as Geodude#1 launches itself at Snorunt with another Tackle, but the little Snow Hat Pokémon is ready this time and meets the Geodude head on with a powerful Headbutt that has the rock type falling back, dazed, wondering what on earth just happened. Roggenrola then starts pumping energy into the Earth, the Powerful waves causing the ground to shift, rumble, and break beneath the Geodude, with some of it exploding upwards to damage them both, but it only takes moments for her to realise this was not a smart move to make inside an old, fragile mineshaft out in the middle of the wilderness. Despite the fact Roggenrola has stopped her attack, the ground continues to rumble, the walls and ceiling also shaking while loose gravel and dirt starts to spill down from above. Your heart leaps into your throat as the terrifying image of being swallowed by the earth takes centre stage in your mind, but a moment later the rumbling subsides and all falls still. Barely able to thank your lucky stars for surviving you hear an angry voice echoing through the tunnel. "Git back here NOW Geodude and stop your foolish shenanigans before you have this whole place cavin' in on us! Hurry up! We got work to do!" Immediately the two Geodude skedaddle, one of them flipping yourself, Roggenrola, and Snorunt the finger as they rush off to meet the man calling them while Snorunt desperately tries to gather together the remants of a Pecha Berry it had been carrying that was crushed in the battle before it cries out, distraught, and rushes into the cave the Geodude had been attempting to keep it out of. Suddenly left standing there with the Geodude headed back the way you'd come and Snorunt headed into the cavern, you're again wondering how exactly it is you became involved in this in the first place. Unsure you really want to be running into the man belonging to the angry voice you wonder what to do next when Roggenrola makes the decision for you, dashing off after Snorunt only to find it huddled by two tiny Snorunt, one of them appearing to be very, very sick. Poisoned, in fact. The ruined Pecha Berry is proving useless as it is just too damaged for its healing properties to be of any help at all, and the little Snorunt doesn't appear to have much fight left in it. Looks like Roggenrola's managed to get you into a bit of a pickle...

OOC: Funny that you point out the type advantage of Snorunt over Geodude, but not that Geodude also has one over Snorunt :P

Just as Rowan asked his Roggenrola continues to mediate between the Snorunt and Geodude, but Rowan soon understands that talking is not going to solve the problem as one of the Geodude launches itself at Roggenrola, attempting a Tackle attack. The attack comes quickly, Rowan tries to attend Roggenrola to the attack and reaches out to her in a reflex yelling "Watch out!" But it is too late already. The Geodude's attack connects and sends her flying straight at Snorunt, causing both of them to crash into the wall of the cavern with a hard crunch.

"Are you okay Roggenrola?" Rowan sounds clearly concerned about his Pokémon, even though he knows she can take a hard hit as she is sturdy enough. "Can you get up? Just do as I told you okay, that should be enough to get those Geodude quiet, most certainly if Snorunt helps out too. The type-advantage the two of you have in moves and typing should easily overcome the type advantage of the Geodude over Snorunt and you."

Rowan has hardly finished his sentence or the two are standing on their feet already and Snorunt starts attacking the two Geodude with an attack of its own. It blows a lot of fine Powder Snow from its mouth, sending the flakes towards its targets. The snowflakes spread out and hit both the Geodude.

"Guess that will cool them down," Rowan remarks with a smirk.

Roggenrola meanwhile hardens up an attempt not to be knocked back like before again. She stands firmly on the ground and focuses the energy from her core to her rock-like exterior, Hardening it in the process. At the moment she is finished a Rock comes Blasts past her and a fraction of a moment later she finds herself dancing around on the cavern floor to dodge the attack of the second Geodude. After the final rock has been dodged Roggenrola looks up at her partner in battle and sees that the first Geodude is throwing itself at Snorunt.

"Roggenrola rog!" she tries to warn the Snow Hat Pokémon, but quickly sees there is no need for a warning. The Snorunt sees the attack coming and is more than ready to take it head on, literally as it moves its head back a little and then launches it forward for a powerful Headbutt. The two collide and Snorunt attack overpowers Geodude, sending back to the ground. The Geodude clearly did not see that coming, it hold one of its hands on its head looking kind of dizzy and puzzled as to what just happened. But because of the confusion on the Geodude's side Roggenrola sees her chance to attack. She jumps on the floor sending the energy from her core into the Earth creating Powerful waves that cause the ground under the Geodude to erupt. The exploding gravel hits the Geodude, damaging them both.

"Uh-oh," Rowan says softly, realizing that the last move he ordered was not one of the smarter decisions he made and notices that Roggenrola realized that too as she has turned towards him with a pose that says 'This is not my fault.' She had stopped her attack already, but the ground is still moving and it is not just the ground anymore either. The whole mine is shaking now and gravel and dirt starts to fall from the ceiling.

"Please Arceus, don't let this be my grave," Rowan prays with his eyes pinched together as the image of a collapsing mine fills his mind, but only a moment later he exclaims relieved, "Thank you, Arceus!" as the rumbling subsides and all returns to normal.

"Get back here NOW Geodude and stop your foolish shenanigans before you have this place cavin' in on us! Hurry up! We got work to do!" An angry and agitated voice fills the mine, echoing from wall to wall within the mine. As the voice calls for them the Geodude immediately stop their fight and move on to return to the man that called for them, though one of the Geodude cannot resist the urge to flip Rowan, Roggenrola and Snorunt the bird. Which in turn enrages Roggenrola.

"ROG ROGGENROLA ROG!" she shouts back some unfriendly words at the Geodude and attempts to run after them, already releasing some fiery bubbles from her ear. Rowan stops her from doing this however.

"Roggenrola, calm down, we have more important things to do too. Like getting the information my father requires for the company. That is what we came here for in the first place."

Meanwhile, the Snorunt desperately tries to collect the remains of something that, judging by the looks of it, used to be a Pecha Berry. Rowan hadn't noticed it before, but it appears the Snorunt had been holding on to the Berry the whole time and was crushed in battle when Roggenrola slammed into her and then into the wall. The Snorunt then releases a cry of despair and rushes off into the cavern the two Geodude tried to keep it out of.

"So," Rowan sighs, "we're alone again aren't we Roggenrola?" He looks at the little Rock-type with a smile. "I still wonder how you have been able to get us into this mess you know, you truly have a nick of getting into trouble. But what do we do now?" Rowan looks back and forth between the tunnel they came from and the cavern Snorunt disappeared into. "I'm not sure where to go now, I don't particularly feel anything for running into that man with the angry voice. If it would come to a battle we'd surely loose. I only brought you here after all and he has at least two Geodude, and who knows what else. What to do, what to do?"

Not being able to make a decision quick enough for Roggenrola she makes the decision for her trainer and dashes off into the cavern, forcing Rowan to follow her into the unknown once more. This time however Rowan feels no urge at all to get angry at his Mantle Pokémon. In fact, the scene he sees when he walks in makes him feel sad more than anything. The Snorunt Roggenrola followed stands the cavern huddled by two small Snorunt, who Rowan assumes are its children. Taking a closer look he notices that one of them is not looking very well, it looks weak and has a purple glow on its face. It appears to be poisoned. The parent Snorunt tries to feed its sick child the Pecha Berry, but it doesn't do a thing. The damage on the Berry is too great to have any healing properties left. Unable to see the sight of a sick Pokémon Rowan steps in.

"Hey there Snorunt," he kneels down as he addresses the parent in a soft and friendly voice, "Let me help you okay? I have something for you that will help your poisoned child here. And I think it is easier to eat too." With that Rowan slowly moves his bag in front of him without losing eye contact with the Snorunt, he does not want to do anything that might scare them. Equally slowly Rowan opens his bag and takes out a Casteliacone, unwraps the package and reaches his arm holding the cone out to Snorunt.

"Here, give this to your sick child, it will cure the poison." Unsure if the Snorunt understands his intentions Rowan awaits its reaction.

Hello everyone! For lightpanda, jorge, Meetan, and Fallen Icarus, I am now your updator. Now, keep in mind, I have no problem telling you if you did something wrong, and I will try to give you advice or encouragment throughout the updating process. If you are doing well, that's great, and I want you to keep doing well. If you make a mistakes, mistakes are meant to be corrected, and hopefully we can have a good time here.

Due to the fact that we do want you to become good RPers in a fast amount of time, I must ask that everyone reply to their updates in at least two weeks. This shows me that you are not only serious about this, but that you can keep on things as well.

Now, for the updates:

Forest of Adventure
lightpanda

[i]Remember to please reply in LimeGreen.[i]

You are Chichi are super ready for an adventure, and it is fitting that this would be your first one after all. The Forest of Adventure is enchanted to provide such an adventure for you, and you can be sure that you will find a great Pokemon in here. But for now, as you dash through the forest, Chichi trying to keep up with you as fast as it can, you notice something out of the ordinary about your surroundings. Out of the ordinary as in you are lost. You had intended to follow a trail you had seen in the woods, but the forest immediately led you astray. You look around for any clues that might give you an indication on where you are, but you find none. Nothing. Not a trail or a break in the woods. You can't see the sun well because of the dense forest cover. You sigh for a moment, not trying to panic when you see Chichi struggling behind you. You run over to him to see that he is exhausted from the effort, and it looks like he might faint any moment! You grab Chichi in your hands, and it looks up at you. A weak spark shoots from between its antannea, and you hope that Chichi is going to be okay.

Suddenly, from the bushes, you see a Pokemon come out, apparently intriqued by the trainer and his aquatic Pokemon. The young little elephant Pokemon looks at you, and raises it bright blue trunk in the air, sniffing for any sign of danger. When it sees that you are no threat, it takes an Oran Berry from out behind of its ear and begins to happily munch upon it. The elephant shows no sign of giving any to you, which is just fine for it of course. Oran Berries are very tasty and yummy, and they give Pokemon a quick boost in energy. You look towards the elephant and realize that giving one of those Oran Berries to Chichi would helpt it get its energy back. As you get up, though, the Phanpy sees you. He looks at you, and then runs away from you, frightened that you might try to hurt him or take away his yummy Oran berries. You yell at it to wait, but to no avail. Chichi gives out a weak ,"chou", at this, and you know that Chichi is on the edge of passing out.

What will you do?

Comments: One thing I would check on lightpanda is your grammar. Your reply used a few too many commas to connect things that really should have been seperate sentences, and sometimes you tried to phrase things one way but it ended up not working. Now, if you are new to the English language or are young, it might pay you to have someone look over your reply and spot common mistakes. I would ask the TO about this. Otherwise, good job. Though you may want to flesh it out more. I'm not seeing a lot of reaction from your Pokemon. Remember that you need to update them as well.

Mediville
jorge565

Please remember to reply in lemonchiffon.

Comments: There is no update here. For two reasons. The first is that you did not put your starting post in size 1 font, which is a requirment. For two, your reply is short. If you are going to reply to updates, you need to add yourself into it. What is your trainer feeling? Why is every location appealing? How does it remind you of when you met Warrior? What is Warrior feeling at this time? These are some of the questions you can answer in your starting post, and there are of course many more. Starting posts are in my humble opinion the hardest part about a journey, so if you can show me you can write a good starting post, it shows that you should be able to handle updates perfectly fine. Until you edit your starting post, I'm afraid I can't update you.

Silverton Ranges
Fallen Icarus

Please remember to reply in lightsteelblue.

Comments: Again, there is no update here. All you really managed to write for a starting post is a really short paragraph. All I got out of this was that you were chilly and trying to ignore it. There really wasn't a lot there. You say that your Gligar was constantly gliding, but how? I don't think a chilly Gligar would glide very well. Some description would be nice, and some reaction from your Pokemon would be nice as well. All in all, there needs to be more to this. The more you write, the better the update I can write, because I have more to work with. Untile you edit your starting post, I'm afraid I can't update you. Sorry.

Mediville
Meetan

The beautiful expanse of the countryside. Fields of farmland as far as the eye can see, pastures and Miltank and Rapidash grazing in the fields over yonder. I personally would love to live out in the rural areas, but alas, sometimes all one can do is visit. And visit you will. With your destination being Mediville, a place where trainers comes to raise up weak Pokemon so that they could hold their own in other more dangerous areas. Your Abra next to you isn't as strong as many of your Pokemon, so this would be a good place for it as well.

You lay down in the field, looking around as you see nothing but beautiful tranquil skies and green pasture land. You think about sugary things, like cake, pie, cheesecake, candy, pastries...best not to think about this too much. Type 1 diabetes is no joke, and it will be eventually fatal if not treated. But here, in the field, with your Abra, you can forget about these things, forget about the hospitals and the collars and the insulin. You can forget all of that and just be in peace.

But, this peace is not long-lasting. You hear the sound of wings flapping behind you, and as you get up, you see a bird staring at you, with no fear in its eyes. This bird is small, gray bird with a small black beak, orange eyes, a little bit of pink above its back, and black and gray wings. You know this Pokemon as a Pidove, a bird Pokemon. He looks at you, giving a quizzical look...like it was expecting something from you and you weren't delivering. It looks at you some more before flapping its wings and coming closer to you. "Pi? Dove?" It was definitely looking for something, and now it was looking at you even more intensely. Your Abra doesn't seem at all fazed by the bird, still sleeping away quietly as the bird comes closer and closer to you. The bird then hops next you, and says, "Pidove?" Maybe this bird is hungry or something?

What will you do?

Comment: Very nice job on the starting post Meetan. Very nice job indeed.

Comments: Again, there is no update here. All you really managed to write for a starting post is a really short paragraph. All I got out of this was that you were chilly and trying to ignore it. There really wasn't a lot there. You say that your Gligar was constantly gliding, but how? I don't think a chilly Gligar would glide very well. Some description would be nice, and some reaction from your Pokemon would be nice as well. All in all, there needs to be more to this. The more you write, the better the update I can write, because I have more to work with. Untile you edit your starting post, I'm afraid I can't update you. Sorry.

hrm.. *clears throat*

Try again?

Wrapping his coat tightly around himself, Icarus stepped in front of the immense mountain. Heavy deluges of snow constantly poured downward from the sky, and the soil underneath was scarcely visible under the blanket of white. Raging winds whipped across Icarus's face, causing even more irritation. It was looking to be an absolutely horrific adventure. Rubbing his hands in a futile effort, Icarus sighed.

He had journeyed here in his quest to enter the land of Fizzy Bubbles, but had found a mysterious gate coupled with 7 roads and 7 signposts that detailed where they went. Icarus, impatient to get things started, had just chosen one and gone along with it. After all, the signpost for Silverton Ranges had only good things to say about it. "A lovely cool mountain filled with your favorite pokemon! Choose this road to travel on and you can enjoy a beautiful sight along with a heart-racing adventure!" Icarus also wanted a break from the sub-tropical climate he came from, so a nice, chilly mountain seemed like the best option at the time. Unfortunately, Icarus didn't even stop to think about the possible mistruths, as he was easily influenced by propaganda. "How exactly do I always end up with these unfavorable situations?" Icarus grumbled.

Next to him, Seth the Gligar gave him a smirk, as if to say, "I told you so." Seth, a great lover of lazying around in the heat, hated the cold with his very being. Of course, this is probably influenced by the fact that a Gligar's 4x weakness is ice, which causes an innate hatred of ice/cold stuff. Except ice cream. Seth loves ice cream. As a result of this hate, Seth adamantly vetoed the journey to Silverton Ranges, waving his little pincers left and right. Icarus overrode Seth's objection, citing his absolute power as the trainer. Pouting, Seth refused to talk to Icarus the journey there, though it seemed like he was ready to talk again.

"Alright, alright, you win Seth," Icarus conceded. "But we're already here, so we're going to have to make the best of this, okay buddy? If we don't go through here now, we're never going to make it to Fizzy Bubbles." Seth mulled over these words for a minute or so, and slowly nodded his head. He too shared Icarus's dream of finally making it to Fizzy Bubbles. Icarus and Seth were going to make it through this mountain range, no matter what it took.